Where I come from, summer nights are habitually uncomfortable and increasingly irksome, even in the areas which are decently distant from the city lights and pollution. We all know what summer does during the day, but at night, with temperature ranging from 35°C to 37°C, mosquito bites and excessive sweating in the humid nights, certainly does not make summer a charming season for most. In addition to these infuriating effects at night, an unpleasantly warm and humid gush of air can also occasionally greet you with a bonus slap, which will certainly make you more irritable. I’ve experienced it several times while recording the planetary videos. I could keep on complaining, but again it is wise to drop the whining and let nature take its course in the process of sustenance. For some, summer is nothing but the bringer of longest days with blistering heat and shorter windless nights, that is specially designed by mother nature just to sadistically boil them for no reason, and for others, even the hellish summer has its own charm and purpose.
As the season approaches, I train my mind to look beyond the hellfire. That was the night, when I couldn’t take my eyes off this great constellation called ‘Saptarishi’ or Ursa Major (Big Dipper). In the ancient hindu astronomy, Ursa Major constellation is known as Saptarishi, which literally means ‘Seven Sages’. These brightest seven stars symbolise seven sages who were known as Brahmarishis. Brahmarishis are the sages who possessed Brahmavidya (Knowledge of the Brahman or Absolute).
The above image was captured from Bortle 2-3 region in Jawai, Rajasthan in October, 2022.
I captured the above image from Bortle 1-2 region in Tirthan Valley in February, 2022.
Saptarishi is the most prominent constellation in India, which is known to everyone. But do we know its significance? According to the scriptures, Saptarishi are considered as the original seers of the truth and these seven sages are spiritually so advanced and powerful, that they are not influenced by the cycle of birth and death. These sages have authored numerous hymns that are found in the Rig Veda and their knowledge on attainment of moksha (ultimate liberation) has also been recorded in various Upanishads and puranic literature. One such example is of Sage Angirasa, who is regarded as one of the seven sages, has stated in Mundaka Upanishad (1.2.12), that in order to realize Brahmavidya by which the Absolute can be known, one must approach the guru, who is established in Brahman (Absolute), for only such enlightened person can guide the seeker to the truth. This was just a drop in the vast sea of knowledge that is still preserved till date. Their purpose here, is to gain the knowledge of the Absolute and pass on to the human race for their upliftment and because of their divine nature, the seven stars are identified with the name of Saptarishi. Imparting divine knowledge to the mankind, knowledge of weaponry and ancient medicine (Ayurveda) and composing Vedic scriptures are some of the contributions made by these greatest seers, that has earned them a special place among the stars, far beyond the earthly plane, untouched by the materiality.
The above image displays Mizar and Alcor (down).
In the first image, one can easily spot a pair of stars located at the second last position in the ‘handle’, forming a naked eye double. This pair of visual double star is known by the name of Mizar and Alcor, one of the most famous double stars. So, here in the second image, Mizar is itself a binary system (two stars gravitationally bound to one another) and the lonely star that is located down to this binary system is Alcor. But, is it really lonely? In 2009, a group of astronomers concluded that Alcor is in fact a binary system too. Hear this, Mizar! Alcor was never alone. If only I could have captured Alcor in its binary form, but it is impossible to capture its faint companion with the equipment I possess.
Let’s go back in time when our ancestors had named this pair i.e. Mizar and Alcor (since they are visible to the naked eye) after one of the Saptarishi viz. Sage Vashishtha (as Mizar) and his wife Arundhati (as Alcor). Throughout our scriptures, Arundhati has been regarded as the one possessing the virtue of chastity and piety. According to Mahabharata (Book 3, Vana Parva), Svaha had fallen in love with the god of fire i.e. Agni, and from that moment she had been endeavouring for a long time to detect his weakness, but she was unsuccessful. Svaha, later on assumed a form of Siva (wife of Sage Angirasa, one of the Saptarishi), and told Agni that she had come there on the advice of the wives of other rishis and that he was desired by all. In order to be with Agni, Svaha impersonated the wives of the Saptarishi, except for one i.e. Arundhati. It was because of her great austerity, piety and immense devotion to Sage Vashishtha, Svaha was unable to assume Arundhati’s form. Therefore, this pair of double star stands as a symbol of marital fulfillment and loyalty. Some Hindu communities follow this ritual after marriage, where the groom shows the bride this pair of stars i.e. Vashistha (Mizar) and Arundhati (Alcor).
The above image displays Mizar A and Mizar B.
Above, I had mentioned that Mizar is itself a binary system and the picture here, does reveal two stars, but in reality it is a quadruple star system, meaning thereby, Mizar A and B are themselves binaries i.e. Mizar Aa, Ab, Ba, and Bb. Imaging the quadruple star system is impossible as these binaries are way too close to split by the telescopes. So, how was the discovery made? The method used by an astronomer Edward Pickering in the early 20th century was Spectroscopy. To simplify, spectroscope helps the astronomers to find out what stars are made of. It separates the incoming white light from a star into wide spectrum of colours through spectroscope prism, and based on the colour patterns that are emitted, the elements can be determined. Initially, when there were no high-tech cameras, photographic plates were used in the 20th century by the astronomers to capture deep sky objects. Interestingly, Edward Pickering had recorded the binary stars on these photographic plates, first on March 29, 1887 and second on May 17, 1889, and what he noticed was a groundbreaking discovery. He saw that the element calcium (K) line on the plate was double on the earlier plate but later it was a single line. An examination of all the plates from different dates, led to the belief that the calcium lines were in fact double at the interval of 52 days. So far as the other spectral lights of different elements like Hydrogen are concerned, they appeared to be too broad to notice the change and others were significantly faint. Based on the findings, he concluded that Mizar A consists of two stars in a tight orbit around each other and both the stars contribute to the spectrum. In 1908, further usage of this technique revealed that Mizar B was also a binary system. Thus, with six star system (Mizar consisting of 4 stars and Alcor consisting a pair of double), astronomers truly made this constellation rich.
With every cosmic discovery, the understanding of the Universe deepens. Our universe has time and again proved that there are no limits to its mysteries and on the other hand, Earth has always received the best detectives, who are ever ready to open the doors to the unknown possibilities. We possess the words of wisdom passed onto us by our ancestors. We have enthusiasm to discover more. We have everything that we need. What requires now, is to seek the truth, that lies beyond this material realm. May the blessings of Saptarishi be upon you all ! Clear night sky to all !
