The Big Dipper is an asterism in the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear). One of the most familiar star shapes in the northern sky, it is a useful navigation tool. Asterisms are prominent ...

Mizar, a star in the Big Dipper's handle, has a tiny companion. This star, Alcor, was known to the ancients. The pair was ...

Summer is a good time to view the Big Dipper because it's high in the northern sky during the evening. The Big Dipper is not ...

This sky map shows how the Big Dipper appears in the summer sky at 10 pm to observers mid-northern latitudes in June 2012. If you step outside and look skyward as soon as darkness falls on these ...

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere you only need to look high toward the northwest sky to find the seven bright stars that make up the famous Big Dipper. For most stargazers, the Big Dipper is ...

Polaris, which lies roughly 430 light-years from Earth, marks the end of the Little Dipper’s handle. Alternatively, it’s the ...

Two hours after sunset, the sky is dark and the constellation Canes Venatici is high in the west, nestled beneath the curve ...

While the Big Dipper is visible year round from many places, its orientation in the sky changes through the course of the year as Earth whirls around the Sun, and through individual nights too ...

The Big Dipper is not only one of the easiest-to-find ... for finding other stars and star groupings around the northern sky. This technique is called star-hopping, and it’s one of the most ...

Even though winter is definitely on the way in November, the nighttime sky still has some summer constellations lingering in the western sky. The most obvious stars will be the Summer Triangle.

There are also some marvelous constellations in your evening sky. Make sure you have a look for the Big Dipper in the northern sky because by next month it will be gone. If you face east again and ...