Most people have never seen the Little Dipper, because most of its stars are too dim to be seen through light-polluted skies.

Late July is a great time to get acquainted with the Little Dipper, also called Ursa Minor. Face north as soon as it gets ...

Going back to the Big Dipper, if we follow the curve of the Dipper's handle past its end star for about 30 degrees ("three fists"), you'll come to a brilliant star — in rank, ...

For example, every scout knows how to use the Big Dipper to find the North Star (aka Polaris) and, from that, their directions around the horizon. To do so, find the two stars of the Dipper's bowl ...

Mizar, a star in the Big Dipper's handle, has a tiny companion. This star, Alcor, was known to the ancients. The pair was popularly known as the "Horse and Rider." ...

Most of us can spot the group of stars known as the Plough or the Big Dipper. But there’s more to explore here, says Abigail Beall. By Abigail Beall. 14 May 2025 ...

We've always called it the Big Dipper, though it's not officially one of the 88 constellations. It marks the flank and tail of Ursa Major, the Greater Bear.

If we continue to follow the arc of the Big Dipper's handle past Arcturus, we eventually will "speed to Spica," the brightest star of Virgo the Maiden. Spica is a blue-white first magnitude star ...