Big Dipper

The Big Dipper (also called the Plough) is an asterism, a star pattern that is not one of the 88 official constellations, made of seven stars in Ursa Major. Its brightest star is Alioth (magnitude 1.77), and it is best seen in the evening in May.

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<a href="https://constellationmap.org/asterisms/big-dipper/"><img src="https://constellationmap.org/img/asterisms/big-dipper-star-map.png" alt="Big Dipper star map: the seven stars Alioth, Dubhe, Alkaid, Mizar, Merak, Phecda and Megrez connected by lines and labeled, with the surrounding constellations" width="800" height="800" loading="lazy"></a>
<br><small><a href="https://constellationmap.org/asterisms/big-dipper/">Big Dipper</a> · Atlas of the Sky (constellationmap.org), <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a></small>

How to find the Big Dipper, step by step

Seven bright stars, always above the northern horizon.

Face north. From mid-northern latitudes the Big Dipper never sets: it is high in spring, low in autumn.
Look for seven stars of similar brightness forming a pan (the bowl) with a long bent handle.
Mizar, in the middle of the handle, has a faint companion, Alcor, that you can see with good eyes.

Big Dipper or Ursa Major?

The Big Dipper (the Plough in the UK and Ireland) is not one of the 88 constellations. Its seven stars are part of Ursa Major, the Great Bear: the bowl is the bear's back and the handle its tail.

How to use it

Follow the two stars at the front of the bowl, Merak and Dubhe, about five times their distance to reach Polaris, the North Star; follow the arc of the handle to Arcturus.

How to find the Big Dipper

From 40° N (the USA, southern Europe, Japan) it never sets and is visible every clear night, highest in the north about 74° up. From 35° S (Australia, South Africa, Argentina) it stays below the horizon.

Stars of the Big Dipper

Star	Designation	Magnitude	Distance	Constellation
Alioth	ε Ursae Majoris	1.77	79 ly	Ursa Major
Dubhe	α Ursae Majoris	1.79	123 ly	Ursa Major
Alkaid	η Ursae Majoris	1.86	100 ly	Ursa Major
Mizar	ζ Ursae Majoris	2.27	83 ly	Ursa Major
Merak	β Ursae Majoris	2.37	97 ly	Ursa Major
Phecda	γ Ursae Majoris	2.44	111 ly	Ursa Major
Megrez	δ Ursae Majoris	3.31	81 ly	Ursa Major

Questions about the Big Dipper

Is the Big Dipper a constellation?

No. The Big Dipper is an asterism: its stars belong to the constellation Ursa Major, one of the 88 constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union.

What is the brightest star of the Big Dipper?

Alioth, with an apparent magnitude of 1.77, about 79 light-years away.

When can I see the Big Dipper?

It is highest in the evening sky in May. From mid-northern latitudes it never sets.