Ursa Minor

noun

Ur·​sa Mi·​nor ˌər-sə-ˈmī-nər 

: a constellation that includes the north pole of the heavens and the stars which form the Little Dipper with the North Star at the tip of the handle

called also Little Bear

Examples of Ursa Minor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Bode’s Galaxy And The Cigar Galaxy When: after dark all month Where: northern sky Ursa Minor and Ursa Major are home to two galaxies that look stunning in an 8-inch telescope. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

The Little Dipper is also known as Ursa Minor, the Little Bear. —Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 7 Jan. 2024

Watch near the Ursa Minor constellation that night and evening to see up to three meteors per hour. —Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 2 Jan. 2024

The radiant, or the point in the sky where the meteors appear to emanate from, is the constellation Ursa Minor, the smaller celestial bear that contains the Little Dipper. —Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Jan. 2024

But that’s not an option: ALMA observes the Southern Hemisphere, and MACS0647-JD is nestled between Ursa Major and Ursa Minor in the north. —Syris Valentine, Scientific American, 11 July 2023

Anchorage’s Alpenglow, Aurora, Bayshore, Chugach Optional, Kincaid, O’Malley, Polaris and Ursa Minor elementary schools all have cafeteria manager vacancies. —Morgan Krakow, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Jan. 2023

Object of the week: Polaris Polaris, also known as the North Star, is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor and is used as a reference point for finding direction in the night sky. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2023

The shower received its namesake due to its appearance of radiating from the direction of the constellation Ursa Minor, according to TimeandDate.org. —Joe Mario Pedersen, orlandosentinel.com, 4 Jan. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Latin (genitive Ursae Minoris), literally, lesser bear

First Known Use

1638, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

Ursa Minor

noun

Ursa Mi·​nor -ˈmī-nər 

: the group of stars that includes the north pole of the heavens and the stars which form the Little Dipper with the North Star at the tip of the handle

called also Little Bear