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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services, April 5 Graduation rates among special ed students in Jackson County improve but fall short of 67 percent target Cute smiles, chubby cheeks win judges' hearts in annual Pear Blossom Baby Contest in Medford Learn about proposed 55-mile scenic bikeway outside Ashland Start saving plastics now for May round-up Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, April 5 Emergency services, April 4 Social media helped track down AmericanWest Bank robber, Medford police say Jury awards damages to Rogue River couple that lived next to noisy dogs U.S. Bank robbery suspect charged in Minute Market crime Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: Afghanistan progress is uneven but undeniable Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for one year Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Special election: Jackson County voters OK marijuana tax Education Graduation rates among special ed students in Jackson County improve but fall short of 67 percent target New SOU board hikes tuition 5 percent Southern Oregon Education Service District superintendent to retire in June Which comes first: The rocket or the egg? Medford School District one of most accident-prone in state Environment A sea-foam change Rogue Valley lions on their way to California Corps hopes to clear Lost Creek Lake of debris Beetles taking toll on Ashland pines Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 State News City rules drive Uber ride-hailing service out of Eugene District fires Oregon's 2014 Teacher of the Year Oregon lawmakers consider increasing highway speed limits State releases 94,000 emails from former first lady Cylvia Hayes Man accused of arson in Albany high school cafeteria fire Nation - World Obituaries William D. Enyart Gordon Geeseman Patricia Anne Johnson Patricia E. Rees Gary Dahl Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Ducks' Buckner sidelined for spring Blazers again hit 50-win mark 'Cats go pfft!, not perfect Timbers dump Dallas for first victory Barkley, McGowne pace SOU at Linfield Varsity 541 College Sports Ducks' Buckner sidelined for spring 'Cats go pfft!, not perfect Barkley, McGowne pace SOU at Linfield Freshman lead Duke into title game Rozario, Ghelfi set SOU track records Pro Sports Blazers again hit 50-win mark Timbers dump Dallas for first victory Spieth grabs one-shot lead at Houston Blazers celebrate division title with triumph Green's 22 lead Grizzlies past Thunder Community Sports Business Latest Stories Road to health: Bike and pedestrian paths play greater role in transportation project funding Jackson County median home price hits $215,000 in first quarter Blog: The Season for Cleaning Blog: Nothing succeeds like ... a good wine promotion Ride & Drive: 2015 Ram Laramie Longhorn 1500 Real Estate News Jackson County median home price hits $215,000 in first quarter East McAndrews Road sees a resurgence in commercial projects Business briefs: March 7 People In Business People in Business, March 26, 2015 Transportation Road to health: Bike and pedestrian paths play greater role in transportation project funding Rogue Disposal plans natural gas fueling site Alaska, United Express boost Medford airport to record February Agriculture Broth maker leaves San Diego for Medford Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, April 5 Our View: State income tax sharing run amok Dana Milbank: Bob Menendez should resign Guest Opinion: If Courtney kills bill, $15 minimum wage will go to the ballot Michael Gerson: The virtues of the smoke-filled room Editorials Our View: State income tax sharing run amok Other Views: Rethink gillnet ban on the Columbia Our View: Local water supplies are not unlimited Our View: Cheers and Jeers Our View: The tangled web at Medford's Northgate Centre Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, April 5 Letters to the Editor, April 3 Letters to the Editor, April 2 Letters to the Editor, April1 Letters to the Editor, March 31 Columns Dana Milbank: Bob Menendez should resign Guest Opinion: If Courtney kills bill, $15 minimum wage will go to the ballot Michael Gerson: The virtues of the smoke-filled room Guest Opinion: Phoenix embraces Bee City USA designation Matthew T. Mangino: Prison deaths on the rise Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: If Courtney kills bill, $15 minimum wage will go to the ballot Guest Opinion: Phoenix embraces Bee City USA designation Guest Opinion: Marijuana offers Oregon benefits, drawbacks Guest Opinion: How to end the influence of money in elections Guest Opinion: How schools teach U.S. history raises hackles Lifestyle Latest stories Southern Oregon Journal: The famous Southern Oregon Coast Easter lilies Adopt a Pet A little fiction is like salt Solving the caregiving riddle takes care Choose your own adventure Food Community blog: Light lemon souffles are an easy Easter treat Page H. Onorato: Leftover ham and eggs make for some yummy dishes after Easter The journey from inspiration to written recipe Tammy Kelly: Lighten up traditional Easter desserts Kitchen Call: Goat cheese recipes worth bleating over Home and Garden Carol Link: Pruning rose plants, step by step How often should you paint the outside of your house? Carol Link: It’s time to get into shape for spring yard work Dear Monty: Relocation brings pay raise and challenges Garden Cameos: Planning for a fragrant garden year round Health Health Watch: Work out like a pro athlete Brent St. Germain: Feeling the burn again HealthStyle: Normal anxiety or anxiety disorder? Community blog: How to Get Rid of a Tension Headache St. Mary's student helps others with diabetes Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs: Friday, April 3 Religion briefs: Friday, March 27 Religion briefs Religion News: Presbyterian Church gives approval on same-sex marriage Religion briefs: Friday, March 13 Milestones and Achievements Haga-Parks Exercise helps special-needs kids adjust to airport procedures Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Here's Tempo's 5 picks for entertainment this week Live Music in Local Clubs A Country Cajun Revival comes to the Unitarian Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists New exhibits open at Schneider Museum of Art Theater Auditions for youth musical set at Camelot Review: From past into present in OSF's 'Long Day's Journey' ‘A Dream of Red Pavilions’ at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Review: Education and its discontents Next Stage Repertory presents 'Educating Rita' at the Craterian Theater Music Elias String Quartet plays at Southern Oregon University Bluegrass band Siskiyou Summit plays Bell Fiore Winery Oregon Old-Time Fiddlers at the Ashland Community Center Live Music in Local Clubs A Country Cajun Revival comes to the Unitarian Community Events MailTribune.com rolls out new calendar Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Easter egg hunts are a long-standing tradition in the Rogue Valley Get Up & Go: Friday, April 3 Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Dining RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS: Sunday, April 5 The Laughing Clam in Grants Pass offers seafood-heavy menu Standing Stone owners to open Medford brewpub and restaurant Restaurant Inspections: March 29 Basque-inspired cuisine at Eleven in Ashland Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Graduation rates among special ed students in Jackson County improve but fall short of 67 percent target ... Our View: State income tax sharing run amok ... Guest Opinion: If Courtney kills bill, $15 minimum wage will go to the ballot ... Graduation rates among special ed students in Jackson County improve but fall short of 67 percent target ... Our View: State income tax sharing run amok ... Guest Opinion: If Courtney kills bill, $15 minimum wage will go to the ballot ... Looking Up: Springtime Big Dipper leaps for joy By Peter Becker More Content Now MailTribune.com By Peter Becker More Content Now Posted Apr. 3, 2015 @ 12:01 am By Peter Becker More Content Now Posted Apr. 3, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Have you noticed the leaping dipper? The Big Dipper, in its never tiring circumlocution of the northern heavens, presents itself on spring evenings as if it is leaping in a burst of joy. Let your imagination soar, just as the ancients did who organized the stars into constellation patterns. It’s not extremely scientific, but it’s all part of the love of the night sky that keeps us, from professional scientist to the casual star watcher, with their neck craned back and their eyes looking up. As many may know, the Big Dipper is part of a larger constellation, Ursa Major, the Great Bear. We once had an ursa major in the backyard stand on its hind legs and peer right in the kitchen window. It’s fun living near the woods. The Big Dipper, as such, is not among the officially listed 88 constellations, but is an “asterism,” which is basically another word for constellations that aren’t really constellations. Recognized around the world and across cultures and the span of time, the seven stars have been variously referred to as a plow, (Ireland and Great Britain), a butcher’s cleaver (northern England), a wagon (some parts of England and Scandinavia), a sauce pan (Holland), a medicine cart (Hungary), the Seven Sages (Hindu), Seven Gods (Mongolia), coffin (Arabia), drinking gourd (Africa) and of course the Big Dipper (North America). Amos 5:8 in the Bible refers to the “Seven Stars,” which some believe may be the Big Dipper, or more commonly heard, the Pleiades star cluster. In any case, the Big Dipper serves as a convenient pointer to the North Star, about which our whole sky seems to revolve. The front two stars of the Big Dipper do the pointing. It is oriented in spring evenings climbing the northeast, its dipper about to unload its contents. In summer, look for it “dipping down” in the northwest. Here’s the names of the seven stars. Learn them and be possibly the first on the block to be able to regal your guests with this information. The end star of the “handle” is Alkaid, followed by Mizar (more later), Alioth, and the Megrez, the first corner of the “bowl.” Move down the side of the “bowl” to Phecda, across the bottom of the “bowl” to Merak, and then up to Dubhe. Again as seen on spring evenings, the bottom of the “bowl” is on top. If you have reasonably good eyesight you should be able to see the dim star right next to Mizar, known as Alcor. Binoculars will show it very clearly. Aim a small telescope at Mizar and using a magnification of about 40x or more, you will at once see that Mizar is split into two stars very near each other. The magnified view will show Alcor far apart from Mizar but in the same field of view. Mizar and Alcor are a chance alignment and are not associated to each other, but the two stars of Mizar are an actual double (binary), connected by gravity. The North Star (Polaris) is at the tip of the “handle” of the Little Dipper. Most of the these stars are considerably fainter than in the Big Dipper. The official name for the Little Dipper group is Ursa Minor, the Little Bear. Note Dubhe’s yellow shade, in binoculars. Full moon is on April 4. Keep looking up! By Peter Becker More Content Now MailTribune.com By Peter Becker More Content Now Posted Apr. 3, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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