(Continued from page 13)

• September 2012 guide to the five visible planets
• The constant motion from night to night of these stars circling Polaris is a bit like a bear circling its prey, looking for a way to attack. Several ancient cultures from the Greeks and Romans to the Micmac Indians likened these stars to a bear.
• In Greek mythology, the Big Dipper asterism represents the hindquarters and tail of the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear. The Micmacs saw the three stars of the Big Dipper handle as hunters chasing the bear.
• Watch the Big and Little Dippers circle around Polaris tonight! To locate Polaris, the North Star, just draw a line between the two outer stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper.