Night sky illustration of the Big Dipper, or Drinking Gourd, in relation to the North Star and Little Dipper. nps.gov “As slave lore tells it, the North Star played a key role in helping slaves to find their way—a beacon to true north and freedom. Escaping slaves could find it by locating the Big Dipper,…
Category: #Black History Month
Follow the Drinking Gourd – The Big Dipper, The Little Dipper, and the North Star
At least as far back as the ancient civilizations, skywatchers have noticed that specific star formations look like ladles or dippers–devices used for drinking. Drinking from ladles was especially common among rural people and fieldhands. The constellation of the Big Dipper looks almost exactly like a kitchen ladle. If the ladle is turned upside down,…