Ursa

(ür's ah.) [FromL. ursus, the bear.] (Ast.) The name of two constellations in the N. hemisphere, known respectively as Ursa Major, or the Great Bear, and Ursa Minor, or the Little Bear. The first is one of the 48 Ptolemaic constellations, neighboring the Pole, and contains the Septentriones, seven prominent stars. This constellation was known to the ancients under several names, such as those of Boötes, Arcturus, Helix, the Wagon, the Plough, . The Little Bear, called by the Greeks Cynosura, or the Dog's Tail, also consists of 7 stars which form a triangle, at the apex of which is situated the Polar star. [s. 924]