✧ Little Dipper

  The Little Dipper is an asterism in Ursa Minor.

                          •
                         ⢠⠇
                         ·
                         ⡇
                        ⢸⠁
                        ·
                        ⠈⢧
                         ⠈⢧
                          ⢨·⡀
                         ⣰⠋ ⠳⡄
                        ·⣅   ⠙⣆
                         ⠈⠓⢦⡀ ⢈•
                            ⠉·⠋

  Type            Asterism
  Constellation   Ursa Minor
  Stars           7

  More information about Little Dipper

  The Little Dipper is the constellation Ursa Minor, drawn as a smaller
  version of the Big Dipper beside it. Only two of its stars are easy to
  see: Polaris at the very tip of the handle, and Kochab in the bowl. The
  other five are faint enough that being able to count all seven is a fair
  test of how dark your sky is. The Greeks called this figure Κυνόσουρα,
  "the dog's tail", and because the star at the end of it was what
  everyone steered by, the word came into English as cynosure: whatever a
  room full of people cannot take their eyes off.

  Etymology
  From        American English
  Reading     the Little Dipper
  Literally   the little ladle

  The evolution of Little Dipper over time

  -50,000 years
  
                                               ⢠• Polaris
                                               ⡜
                                              ⢀⠇
                                              ⡸
                                              · Yildun
                                              ⡇
                                              ⡇
                                              ⡇
                                              ·
                                              ⠈⢆
                                               ⠈⢣
                                                 ⢣⡀
                                                  ⢳⡀
                                                 ⡰⠁·⠦⡀
                                               ⢀⠜⠁   ⠉⢦
                                              ⡠⠋       ⠙⢤
                                            ⢀⡞          ⡼• Kochab
                                           ⣠⡊         ⢀⡜⠁
                                           ·⠉⠉⠉⠑⠒⠒⠢⠤⠤⠤⡞
                                                      · Pherkad
  
  now
  
                                               ⢠• Polaris
                                               ⡎
                                              ⡸
                                             ⢰⠃
                                             · Yildun
                                             ⡇
                                            ⢸⠁
                                            ⢸
                                            ⢎
                                            ·⢆
                                             ⠈⢆
                                              ⠘⣆
                                               ⠘⣆
                                              ⢀⡤·⠣⣄
                                            ⢀⠴⠉    ⠑⢄⡀
                                            ·⠲⣀      ⠉⠦⡀
                                              ⠈⠱⢄      ⡼• Kochab
                                                ⠈⠱⢄  ⢀⠜
                                                  ⠈⠱⢴⠋
                                                    · Pherkad
  
  +50,000 years
  
                                                 ⡴• Polaris
                                                ⡼⠁
                                               ⡜
                                              · Yildun
                                             ⢀⠇
                                             ⡸
                                            ⢀⠇
                                            ⢸
                                            ⡇
                                            ·⡀
                                             ⢣
                                              ⢧⢀
                                              ⠈⢾·
                                               ⠘·⣄
                                                 ⢫⠑⢤⡀
                                                 ⠈⡆ ⠈⠓⢄⡀
                                                  ⠸⡀   ⢩• Kochab
                                                   ⢧ ⢀⠔⠁
                                                   ⠈⡦⠋
                                                    · Pherkad

  Over 50,000 years either way the longest side of this figure changes by 34%, and the furthest
  any of its stars travels is 3.8 degrees. Polaris, Kochab, Pherkad, HR 5903 and HR 6322 drift
  the opposite way to the other 2, which travel together. Proper motion only: this is the shape
  changing, not the sky turning or the pole moving.

  curl 'skymap.sh/Little%20Dipper/evolution.gif'

  where it is tonight:  skymap.sh/Little Dipper