The Big/Great Dipper is the American English term for the seven brightest stars of Ursa Major (The Plough in British English).
Big Dipper also may refer to:
The Big Dipper Ice Arena, colloquially known as "The Big Dipper", is a multi-purpose arena in Fairbanks, Alaska. The arena is owned and operated by the Fairbanks North Star Borough. Originally constructed as an airplane hangar for the Lend-Lease program in Tanacross, southeast of Fairbanks, the building was dismantled, transported to Fairbanks and reassembled in 1968. It has undergone two major renovations since then. The building is home to the Fairbanks Ice Dogs ice hockey team. The borough's parks and recreation department is headquartered in the building.
Prior to 1968, the building now known as the Big Dipper was an aircraft hangar located in Tanacross, Alaska. Constructed during World War II, the building saw little use after the war.
In 1968, Hez Ray, a teacher and coach at Lathrop High School, organized a crew of volunteers and undertook a project to move the derelict hangar to Fairbanks and repurpose it as an ice skating arena. The group purchased the hangar for a dollar and, using equipment donated by Fairbanks construction companies, dismantled the building and moved it to Fairbanks. The volunteers then reconstructed the building in its present location from the dismantled parts of the hangar. After rebuilding the hangar, the volunteers built an ice rink and bleachers inside, but due to a lack of resources the building itself was reconstructed essentially as it had been in Tanacross. Heated restrooms and locker rooms with showers were added in 1972-1973. The building itself remained unheated until its 1980s renovation, with large portable space heaters normally associated with airplane hangars used on occasion in the winter, in an attempt to provide some heat to the facility during events.
The Big Dipper (US) or Plough (UK) is an asterism (not a constellation) of seven stars, with four defining a "bowl" or "body" and three defining a "handle" or "head", that is recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures. These stars are the brightest of the formal constellation Ursa Major; six of them are second magnitude stars, while only Megrez (δ) is of third magnitude. The North Star (Polaris), the current northern pole star and the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper, can be located by extending an imaginary line from Merak (β) through Dubhe (α). This makes it useful in celestial navigation.
The constellation of Ursa Major has been seen as a bear by many distinct civilizations. This may stem from a common oral tradition stretching back for thousands of years. Using statistical and phylogenetic tools, Julien d'Huy reconstructs the following Palaeolithic state of the story: "There is an animal that is a horned herbivore, especially an elk. One human pursues this ungulate. The hunt locates or get to the sky. The animal is alive when it is transformed into a constellation. It forms the Big Dipper".
A roller coaster is an amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson obtained a patent regarding roller coasters on January 20, 1885, which were made out of wood, but this patent is considerably later than the "Russian mountains" described below. In essence a specialized railroad system, a roller coaster consists of a track that rises in designed patterns, sometimes with one or more inversions (such as vertical loops) that briefly turn the rider upside down. The track does not necessarily have to be a complete circuit, as shuttle roller coasters demonstrate. Most roller coasters have multiple cars in which passengers sit and are restrained. Two or more cars hooked together are called a train. Some roller coasters, notably wild mouse roller coasters, run with single cars.
The oldest roller coasters are believed to have originated from the so-called "Russian Mountains", which were specially-constructed hills of ice, located in an area that would later become St. Petersburg. Built in the 17th century, the slides were built to a height of between 21 and 24 m (70 and 80 feet), consisted of a 50 degree drop, and were reinforced by wooden supports.
The Great Dipper (Hangul: 북두칠성; RR: Bukduchilseong) is the third studio album by South Korean singer-songwriter Roy Kim. It was released on December 4, 2015 by MMO Entertainment, and distributed through CJ E&M Music. The album features nine tracks in total, including the eponymous lead single which was announced to be the first ballad title track of Kim's career. As of January 2016, The Great Dipper has sold over 6,000 physical copies and 300,000 digital downloads in Kim's native country (see Roy Kim discography).
In August 2015, during a backstage interview with Billboard K-Town at KCON 2015, Kim previewed his upcoming album: "The third album, I'm working on it. I don't know when it'll come out, but I think it'll be more deep. I don't think people will like it." He added by saying, "It's going to be way more deep. In terms of the topics, and the songwriting, it's going to be very minimal in the way of arranging the music. That could change, it's all a secret, but now I've told you everything."
The national nightmare has begun
Empire of fantasy with a dark gloved fist aloft
While the challenger explodes
Banks are failing coming down hard
The way things are going I'm moving to the sun belt
Stars and stripes, forever is a long time
Don't ask me what's to be done
Ask what you can do for your country?
The Big Dipper' coming down
Miss America's lost her crown
Guess I've spent too long in this old town
No time to run and hide
We've been taken for a ride
America leads the world in teenage suicide
I always thought it would have been great
To be a part of the United States
a land of unmissed opportunity
A friend seems so far ahead
A land safe on film
Untouched by reality
But like a well played record seemed to scratch
The news that real life and cinema don't match
Even Forrest Gump can't save us now
The king of Hollywood is dead
I don't care what the president said
I don't believe in everything I've read
The Big Dipper's coming down
New York's just a shanty town
That distant sound is L.A. burning down
The golden years of justice
The golden years of youth
The golden years of liberty
The golden years of truth
Laser bombin'
Status seekin'
Trail blazin'
Frontier pushin'
Space racin'
Earth quakin'
Jesus freakin'
Serial killin'
Cult crushin'
Net surfin'
Networkin'
Fast talkin'
Gun runnin'
Fun lovin'
America!
The Big Dipper' coming down
Miss America's lost her crown
Guess I've spent too long in this old town
No time to run and hide
We've been taken for a ride
America leads the world in teenage suicide
The Big Dipper's coming down
New York's just a shanty town
That distant sound is L.A. burning down
The king of Hollywood is dead
I don't care what the president said