this post was submitted on 08 Oct 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] twinnie 12 points 1 month ago (6 children)

Why do Americans call this the Big Dipper? What even is a dipper?

[–] nelly_man@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

A dipper is like a large ladle and is used more for transferring a large amount of liquid rather than serving. Oftentimes, the end will be more squared off with a flat bottom.

To me, these two constellations look very much like dippers and it's difficult to see them as bears.

[–] twinnie 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I’m from the UK, we call it The Plough.

[–] nelly_man@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

That makes sense. I can definitely see that. Do you have a different name for Ursa Minor? We call it the Little Dipper here, but I'm assuming that's not the case on your side of the pond.

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 9 points 1 month ago

A old timey ladle with a flat bottom.

[–] abbadon420@lemm.ee 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

In the Netherlands we call this "the big bear", which is an even more bullshit name, if you ask me.

[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

But at least "big bear" is consistent. That's literally what Ursa Major means, and that the name it had basically for 2000 years now.

The reason it doesn't remotely look like a bear is because this is just the ass and tail. The whole thing looks like this:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Ursa_Major_IAU.svg/1280px-Ursa_Major_IAU.svg.png

[–] blindsight@beehaw.org 1 points 1 month ago

It looks more like a ladle ("dipper") than a bear ("Ursa major") to me. Always made more sense to me.

It's a stretch to say a pair of quadrilaterals with sticks look like a bear family, imho.

[–] Neurologist@mander.xyz 3 points 1 month ago

It’s the cooking pot looking part of Ursa Major

[–] Kusimulkku@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago

Otava master race

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

You put it in a septic tank to get the poop out