How to find Ursa Minor constellation

Fig. 1.UMi Constellation Ursa Minor. Scheme

The search for the constellation Ursa Minor usually starts with the search for the Polar Star, the configuration of the constellation is so simple that if you find the Polar Star, then you have found the Ursa Minor. The polar star can be found in two ways.

1. Most often, the North Star is found using the asterism of the Big Dipper in the constellation Ursa Major.
   To find the Polar Star, you need to mentally draw a line between the stars on the edge of the Big Dipper from Merak to Dubhe and continue to the first bright star - this will be the Polar Star indicating the direction to the North!
You can test yourself by mentally building a Little Dipper / Little Ladle / from it, as if pouring water into the Big Dipper / Big Ladle / (Fig. 6.UMi).
The Polaris (North Star, Pole Star) is the most important navigational star, and Merak and Dubhe , which help to find it, are also called Pointers.

Fig. 6.UMi How to find the North Star? - Very simple! You need to mentally draw a line through the stars of the Big Dipper Merak and Dubhe .

2. Knowing that the North Star is exactly in the north, you can find it with a compass. Specify the latitude of the area in which you are located to the nearest degree (for example, the latitude of Moscow will turn out to be approximately 56°, London - 51°, New York - 41°, Los Angeles - 34°) - at this angle the Polar Star will shine. 
On a starry night, turn along the compass in the north direction, with outstretched arms (Fig. 7.UMi) measure the height approximately (the angular distance between the thumb and forefinger of the outstretched arm of an adult is 16-18 °), slightly underestimating the nearest a bright star above your hands and there will be a Polar Star (within 15 ° there are no bright stars around the Polar Star).

Fig. 7.UMi Evaluation of the angular height of the North Star with outstretched arms - view of the starry sky at the latitude of Moscow.

Sergey Ov (Seosnews9): Малая Медведица - полярное созвездие.