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                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our   
         fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation   
                       written by a professional astronomer.   
      
                                 2023 December 10   
       A landscape shows tall mountains in the distance and evergreen trees   
      nearby. Overhead is a star filled sky, with the stars of the Big Dipper   
         easily apparent. A rollover image labels names for the Big Dipper   
         stars. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                         Big Dipper over Pyramid Mountain   
                      Image Credit & Copyright: Steve Cullen   
      
      Explanation: When did you first learn to identify this group of stars?   
      Although they are familiar to many people around the world, different   
      cultures have associated this asterism with different icons and   
      folklore. Known in the USA as the Big Dipper, the stars are part of a   
      constellation designated by the International Astronomical Union in   
      1922 as the Great Bear (Ursa Major). The recognized star names of these   
      stars are (left to right) Alkaid, Mizar/Alcor, Alioth, Megrez, Phecda,   
      Merak, and Dubhe. Of course, stars in any given constellation are   
      unlikely to be physically related. But surprisingly, most of the Big   
      Dipper stars do seem to be headed in the same direction as they plough   
      through space, a property they share with other stars spread out over   
      an even larger area across the sky. Their measured common motion   
      suggests that they all belong to a loose, nearby star cluster, thought   
      to be on average only about 75 light-years away and up to 30   
      light-years across. The cluster is more properly known as the Ursa   
      Major Moving Group. The featured image captured the iconic stars   
      recently above Pyramid Mountain in Alberta, Canada.   
      
       Night Sky Network webinar: APOD editor to review coolest space images   
                                      of 2023   
                          Tomorrow's picture: sun change   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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