The Big Dipper is one of the most easily recognizable asterisms in the night sky, found in the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear. The star pattern, formed by the seven brightest stars of Ursa Major, is well-known in many cultures and goes by many other names, among them the Plough, the Great Wagon, Saptarishi, and the Saucepan.
What constellation is big dipper part of?
The Big Dipper, or the Plough – is a large asterism consisting of seven stars located in the constellation of Ursa Major. Six of these stars are of the second magnitude, while the seventh, Megrez, of the third magnitude.
The Big Dipper (US) or the Plough (UK, Ireland) is a large asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them are of second magnitude and one, Megrez (δ), of third magnitude.
A frequent query we ran across in our research was “Is the Big Dipper and Ursa Major the same constellation?”.
Ursa Major constellation covers a much larger area of the sky than the Big Dipper, but the stars marking the bear’s head, torso, legs and feet are not as bright or as easy to see as the seven stars marking its tail and hindquarters.
What is the brightest star in the Big Dipper?
The arc of the Big Dipper’s handle leads to Arcturus, the bear keeper, the brightest star in the constellation Boötes, the Herdsman. Following the line further leads to Spica, also one of the brightest stars in the sky, located in the constellation Virgo.
Where is the Big Dipper asterism located?
The Big Dipper asterism is located in the constellation of Ursa Major, the third largest constellation in the sky. Ursa Major spreads out for over 1,280 square degrees. The bright stars that form the famous Big Dipper asterism are easy to find by locating Ursa Major.