Science Fact Finder | Space - What Is The Big Dipper?

What is the Big Dipper?

The Big Dipper, called "the Plough" in Great Britain, is a group of seven stars which are part of the constellation Ursa Major. (A constellation is one of 88 groups of stars in the sky, named for mythological beings.) The stars of the Big Dipper appear to form a spoon with a long handle.

The Big Dipper is almost always visible in the night sky in the Northern Hemisphere (the half of the globe north of the equator). It serves as a convenient reference point for locating other stars. For example, if you draw an arc between the three stars forming the Big Dipper's handle, and extend that arc from the last star in the handle, you'll come to Arcturus, one of the closest, brightest stars in the sky. It is part of the constellation Bootes.

Source: Booth, Nicholas. The Concise Illustrated Book of Planets and Stars, p. 30.

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass