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

But before we go on a star-hopping tour from the Big Dipper, let’s take a look at the story behind the Dipper itself and meet the seven stars that we join to draw it in our mind’s eye.

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 ...

To find Polaris from anywhere in the northern hemisphere first locate Merak and Dubhe at the end of the “bowl” of the Big Dipper. Draw an imaginary line from Merak to Dubhe, and carry on for ...

(Bob King) No matter when you look at the Big Dipper you can draw a line from the Pointers to Polaris and visualize it as the hour hand of a celestial clock with Polaris at the center. The hour is ...

The smaller constellation Leo Minor lies to the upper right (north) of Leo in the west this evening. Leo Minor appears crouched above its larger counterpart, sandwiched between Leo and Ursa Major. The ...