The Bowl of the Big Dipper
By Shawn Grant
Spring is here again and warmer weather comes with it. A clear April’s night is perfect for observing. It isn’t too cold and those annoying bugs aren’t around. The Milky Way is low in the west and high in the east is the extra galactic expanses. That means galaxies and lots of them. In some areas you can get lost in the eyepiece. One of the most well-known asterisms the Big Dipper has its share of galaxies. Some of the galaxies are the best in the sky. M81 and M82 are fine examples. We are going to probe for galaxies that lie in the bowl of the dipper. Many of the more popular galaxies lie outside and the inside is rarely visited so this should be new and interesting.
We will start at the star 2.43 magnitude star Gamma Ursa Majoris. The first galaxy we will visit 
actually lies outside the bowl just a tad bit but it is so nice we will include it. M109 is 30 minutes east of Gamma. It is a 9.8 magnitude barred spiral that is 8.3’ X 4’ in size. The galaxy’s magnitude can fool you it has a very low surface brightness so it doesn’t appear as bright as posted. It is elongated with an irregular bright oval core. In 1955 M109 had a fairly bright supernova at magnitude 12.3.
NGC 3982 is 1.5 degrees north-northeast of Gamma. It is magnitude 12 and 2.4’ X 2’ in size. It is fairly bright with a prominent core. A slightly elongated halo surrounds the core.
21 minutes to the north is NGC 3998. It is 11.5 magnitude and 3’ X 2’ in size. The galaxy is very 
bright, round with a much brighter center. With your naked eye look for a 5.25 magnitude star SAO 33245 just 2 degrees northwest of gamma. Once located point your finder scope or Telrad on this star. It will be a jump off point for the rest of the exploration. NGC 3898 is 30 minutes north of the 5th magnitude star. It is an 11.5 magnitude galaxy that has a size of 3.6’ X2’. It has a very bright core with a halo that is slightly elongated. 14 minutes to the south you will come to NGC 3888. It is magnitude 12.7 and1.7’ X 1’ in size. It has a high surface brightness with a brighter center.
A degree to the west of NGC 3898 is a 12.2 magnitude galaxy NGC 3780. It is 3.1’ X 2’ in size somewhat faint, extended with a brighter center. 1.5 degrees to the northwest is NGC 3683A. It is magnitude 12.6 with a size of 2.4’ X 1.8’.
Another 1.5 degrees to the west-northwest we come to NGC 3619. It is magnitude 12.5 and 4’ X 3’ in size. It is bright, large, round with a much brighter center. In the same field you will notice a brighter galaxy NGC 3613 just 13 minutes away. It is magnitude 11.7 and 3.4’ X 1’ in size. It gradually brightens to an oval core. The galaxy is extended. NGC 3610 is an 11.6 magnitude galaxy just 45 minutes to the north. It is 3.2’ X 3’ in size. In the eyepiece it is bright oval halo that brightens to a stellar nucleus.
NGC 3642 is the last galaxy we will visit. It is 11.6 magnitude and large at a size of 6.2’ X 5’. It has a diffuse halo that gradually brightens in the center.
I just scratched the surface and told you about the brightest galaxies in the bowl. Use a good star chart and dig a little deeper you maybe surprised what you may find.
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