Ursa Minor
The Little Bear
Peace
The larger dipper is the Big Dipper, which forms part of Ursa Major, while the smaller one is part of Ursa Minor and is sometimes called the Little Dipper.
In Ursa Minor, Polaris, the North Star, shines at the tip of the Bear’s tail. In the image above, the center of the circle drawn near Polaris indicates the north celestial pole, and Polaris lies just slightly away from it. It is said that sailors have known since ancient times that the direction of Polaris is almost due north.
The relationship between these two positions is also clearly shown on Sisask’s hand-drawn constellation chart.
PÕHJANAEL means Polaris, the North Star, while TAEVA NABA (+) indicates the north celestial pole. TAEVA means “heaven,” and NABA means “navel.” Is the north celestial pole really called “the navel of heaven” in Estonian?!
Incidentally, Sisask’s constellation chart for Ophiuchus includes the horizon, indicating that Ophiuchus appears low in the sky, close to the horizon. Ursa Minor, by contrast, is the constellation that contains Polaris, high in the northern sky. This also helps me understand why Sisask’s image of Ursa Minor is “Peace.” While the piece for Ophiuchus evokes a world on earth devastated by war, Ursa Minor, high in the sky near the north celestial pole and visible throughout the year, evokes for me the heavenly realm—a world of eternal peace.
In Sisask’s music for Ursa Minor, I sense the emotional scars of war—wounds that do not easily heal. It may still take a long time to truly appreciate what it means to live in peace, but perhaps Polaris shines with a gentle light, as if saying, “I’m always watching over you.”
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