Naming the Stars

                   DOWN the ages, men all over the world have watched the night sky and given names to the groups of stars seen in particular regions of the sky. You might too sometimes in the night when watching stars might have marveled at the stars and how they might have been given the names. So, you are at the right place......

                       There is for instance, a group of stars called the Big Dipper and another the Little Dipper. Both are part of larger star groups - The Big Dipper is part of the constellation of Ursa Major (Great Bear) and the Little Dipper of Ursa Minor (Little Bear).

                        Here is the story of how one of the star groups got its name. Queen Berenice was filled with anxiety when her husband Ptolemy III, King of Egypt had to go the war about 245 B.C. In order that he might return safe and victorious she cut off her hair and deposited it at the temple of Aphrodite as a sacrifice.

  

                           To her consternation, the hair disappeared from the temple a few days later. t was probably stolen by souvenir hunters but the queen thought it was a bad omen. To assuage her fears, the mathematician Conon told her it had not taken by any mortal but by Aphrodite herself. He pointed to a group of stars and said it was her hair twinkling there. It is not known whether Berenice believed him or not but the group of stars is known as Coma Berenices, "Berenice's Hair" to this day.
                          Now, I think you may be going out of your home in night and will scout this stars ! And imagine yourself naming the new stars. Wow! that would be marvelous!