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submitted 2 weeks ago by cm0002@lemmy.world to c/funny@sh.itjust.works
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[-] Nougat@fedia.io 67 points 2 weeks ago

The Big Dipper is a very small part of the great bear.

[-] njm1314@lemmy.world 52 points 2 weeks ago

Also those other parts are a lot more visible when there's no light pollution like 2500 years ago.

[-] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 17 points 2 weeks ago

Those extra stars don't really make it more bear looking.

[-] njm1314@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago

Than just these seven? They absolutely do.

[-] Seleni@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

Looks more like a drunk person drawing a stick horse to me

[-] remotelove@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 weeks ago

Where the fuck were you 2500 years ago? We could of had some kick-ass names and backstories for our night sky.

[-] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

How many long tailed bears were around in Ancient Greece? I saw a backwards interpretation that made more sense where the tail becomes the eye of the head.

Here's an actual photo of the night sky with all the minor stars. There's nothing there that even squinting gives the appearance of a bear.

[-] lime@feddit.nu 11 points 2 weeks ago
[-] arrow74@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 weeks ago

What's funny is it very clearly see a bear there.

Not sure if I'd be able to make it out in person, but the image makes it so very clear to me.

[-] whotookkarl@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 weeks ago

What? That's clearly a giraffe

[-] Hacksaw@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 weeks ago
[-] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

It's a schooner.

[-] bstix@feddit.dk 32 points 2 weeks ago

The bear name for those stars predates the ancient Greeks.

There's no known origin. It's present in languages of people that were separated at least 13000 years ago.

[-] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 11 points 2 weeks ago

some of our star stories go back 100k years. see: the Pleiades.

[-] meyotch@slrpnk.net 5 points 2 weeks ago

This user knows how to star-party!

[-] SnekZone 25 points 2 weeks ago
[-] Hjalamanger@feddit.nu 3 points 2 weeks ago

Yes, it's the karlavagn (the Karl wagon/cart)

[-] lime@feddit.nu 2 points 2 weeks ago

the man wagon

[-] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 22 points 2 weeks ago
[-] hansolo@lemmy.today 11 points 2 weeks ago

If you look at it without tons of light and air pollution, as the ancient Greeks would have, there are so many stars you can make a constellation look like anything you want.

[-] wjrii@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Yup. While the bear with a tail is still kind of weird, Ursa major is one of the least weird constellations. "The Big Dipper" is an "asterism" according to the grad students at the planetarium I took my daughter to.

[-] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago

Also it at least used to be identified as a medieval push hoe.

Isn't it also known as "The Plow" in some parts?

I still don't see a bear. Which way is it facing?

[-] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 2 points 2 weeks ago

To the right. Muscida is its nose.

The tail is a bit long and it's missing an arm.

[-] pyre@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

bear lore from Björn

[-] PineRune@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago

Norse people: it's a wagon! It's Odin's Wagon!

[-] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Or that of Karl, whomever the fuck that is 🤷

(It's called Karlsvognen here in Denmark, which means Karl's wagon)

[-] Hjalamanger@feddit.nu 2 points 2 weeks ago

Same in Swedish, Karlavagnen ("the Karl wagon")

But its definitely a wagon, like who would think it's a bear?

[-] Uruanna@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

They didn't think the big dipper was the bear. The bear is much bigger than the dipper alone.

[-] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 weeks ago

Greek dudes who have had a shitload of retsina? 🤷

[-] flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 weeks ago

I don't know my northern hemisphere stars, having never seen any, but that looks exactly like what we call "the pot" down in the southern hemisphere.

Your point still stands, but your example couldn't be shooting yourself in the foot any harder

[-] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago
[-] Karl@programming.dev 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

No, it's a bear's dih

[-] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 weeks ago

More like em-bear-assing yourself while deep in the Retsina..

[-] pyre@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

I've always seen it as a kite

[-] niktemadur@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

That would be the rump and tail of the bear.

this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2025
428 points (100.0% liked)

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