Big Dipper

The Big Dipper is a prominent asterism of seven stars in Ursa Major, forming a shape often compared to a ladle or plough. Its stars help locate Polaris and other celestial landmarks.

Ursa Major: Ursa Major is a northern constellation containing the Big Dipper and many other stars. The Big Dipper is an asterism within this larger constellation.
Polaris: Polaris is the bright star near the north celestial pole, commonly called the North Star. A line extended from Dubhe through Merak leads approximately to Polaris.
Ursa Major in Greek mythology: Ursa Major is associated in Greek mythology with Callisto, transformed into a bear and placed in the sky. The Big Dipper’s stars form part of the bear-shaped constellation in this tradition.
Alcor: Alcor is a faint star that appears close to Mizar in the handle of the Big Dipper. The apparent pair has long served as a test of eyesight.
Asterism: An asterism is a recognizable star pattern that is not necessarily an official constellation. The Big Dipper is a well-known pattern within Ursa Major, not a constellation of its own.
North celestial pole: The north celestial pole is the point in the sky around which stars appear to rotate in the Northern Hemisphere. Polaris, located near this point, can be found using the Dipper’s pointer stars.
北斗七星: Beidou Qixing, or the Northern Dipper, is the Chinese name for the seven stars of the Big Dipper. Chinese astronomy treated these stars as a distinct celestial figure with calendrical significance.
Mizar and Alcor: Mizar and Alcor are a naked-eye pair of stars in the handle of the Big Dipper. Their closeness makes a distinctive observing case within the asterism.
Dubhe: Dubhe is a bright star in Ursa Major and one of the two stars at the Big Dipper’s outer bowl edge. It marks one end of the bowl’s pointer-star pair.
Little Dipper: The Little Dipper is an asterism in Ursa Minor whose handle ends at Polaris. It is the smaller dipper-shaped pattern identified after locating Polaris.

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Ursa MinorRelated: Its pointer stars help locate Polaris and thereby identify Ursa Minor.