Polaris is easily recognizable on a clear night because it is the brightest star in the Little Dipper asterism. The Big Dipper rotates around the north celestial pole and always points the way to the North Star. It is the nearest visible star to the north celestial pole, located less than a degree from it. Polaris lies in the constellation Ursa Minor, the Little Bear. A line extended from Merak through Dubhe points in the direction of Polaris. The two outer stars of the Big Dipper ’s bowl, Merak and Dubhe, are known as Pointer Stars. The stars of the Big Dipper can be used to find Polaris, the North Star. Castor in Gemini is found on the line drawn from Megrez through Merak and extended by about five times the distance as that between the two stars. The line of the Great Bear’s back (from Megrez to Dubhe) points toward Capella, the luminary of Auriga and the 6th brightest star in the sky. The asterism formed by these stars is known as Three Leaps of the Gazelle. The Bear’s feet are marked by three pairs of stars between the Big Dipper and Leo. The small, faint constellation Leo Minor lies between the constellation figure of Leo and the feet of the Great Bear. The line from Megrez though Phecda extended past Regulus leads to Alphard, the brightest star in Hydra. The asterism forms the celestial Lion’s head and mane, and Regulus appears at its base.
Leo is recognizable for the backwards question mark pattern known as the Sickle. The faint Lynx can be made out in good conditions between the head and front legs of the Bear, the heads of the celestial Twins ( Pollux and Castor), and the hexagon of Auriga.Ī line extended from Megrez through Phecda in the Big Dipper’s bowl leads to Regulus, the brightest star in Leo and the 21st brightest star in the sky. The rest of the celestial Dragon winds around the Little Dipper’s bowl in the direction of the Northern Cross in Cygnus. The tail of Draco lies between the Big and Little Dippers. Cor Caroli, the brightest star in Canes Venatici, is found below Alkaid and the fainter Sun-like star Chara lies below Mizar. The main constellation figure of Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs, is roughly parallel to the line connecting Alkaid and Mizar in the handle of the Big Dipper. Coma Berenices, home to the bright, large Coma Star Cluster, lies in the area between Arcturus and Denebola. The region of the sky between the Big Dipper’s handle and the Y of Virgo is occupied by two fainter constellations. In the spring months, it is high in the northeast around 10 pm and travels across the sky during the night.Ĭonstellations near the Big Dipper, image: Stellarium It appears higher above the horizon from far northern latitudes than it does from locations in northern equatorial latitudes.įor northern observers, the asterism appears in the northeastern sky with the handle dangling from the bowl in the winter evenings. Depending on the time of year, it may be in the northeast, northwest or north in the evening. Where is the Big Dipper?įor most observers, the Big Dipper always appears in the northern half of the sky. As a result of the Earth’s rotation, the asterism appears to rotate slowly counterclockwise around the north celestial pole. This means that it never falls below the horizon and is visible throughout the year. The Big Dipper is circumpolar in most of the northern hemisphere. It is best seen in the evenings in April, when it makes its way across the sky during the night. The entire constellation is visible from locations at latitudes between +90° and -30°. The Big Dipper and Ursa Major lie in the second quadrant of the northern hemisphere (NQ2). The stars marking the celestial Bear’s head, torso, legs, and feet are not as bright or as easy to see from light-polluted areas. The stars of the Big Dipper outline the Great Bear’s hindquarters and tail. Its host constellation, Ursa Major, is the third largest constellation in the sky (after Hydra and Virgo) and covers a much larger area. It is an asterism, a distinctive pattern formed by two or more stars. However, the Big Dipper itself is not a constellation. The Big Dipper is the most visible part of Ursa Major, and its name is often used synonymously with the Great Bear. Big Dipper (Ursa Major constellation) over Old Faithful geyser, Yellowstone National Park, image: Wikimedia Commons/ Astroval1 (CC BY-SA 4.0) Constellation
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