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Asterisms (astronomy)Big DipperUrsa Major

Big Dipper

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

The Big Dipper, part of the Ursa Major constellation, shining brightly in the night sky.

The Big Dipper

The Big Dipper is a famous group of stars that looks like a bowl with a handle or a plough. It is part of a bigger star pattern called Ursa Major, which looks like a bear. People all over the world have known about the Big Dipper for thousands of years.

You can find the Big Dipper in the night sky. It helps people find directions. If you draw an imaginary line through two stars in the front of the Big Dipper, called Merak and Dubhe, you can find the North Star, also called Polaris. Polaris helps point north.

The Big Dipper is easy to spot, so it has been important for stargazing and finding your way at night. It has appeared in many stories and cultures. In some places, it is called the Plough, and in others, it is called the Great Wagon. The Big Dipper is a special friend in the sky for everyone to enjoy.

The asterism of the Big Dipper (shown in this star map in green) lies within the constellation of Ursa Major.

Images

The Big Dipper is a famous star pattern in the night sky, part of the Ursa Major constellation.
Astronaut Donald Pettit captured this beautiful photo of the Big Dipper from the International Space Station, showing us the stars in the night sky.
An animated 3D visualization showing how stars move across the sky over hundreds of thousands of years.
A helpful guide showing how to use the Big Dipper to find stars like Arcturus, Spica, and Polaris in the night sky.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Big Dipper, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.