The Big Dipper and Ursa Major

March 16, 2007 |23:22 | General Information By : Ayesha Shah

Since the Big Dipper is part of the constellation Ursa Major (The Great Bear), it is not a constellation. It's what is called an asterism, which is the name given to interesting star patterns that are easily recognizable, but not one of the "official" constellations.
Be that as it may, the Big Dipper is probably one of the first objects in the sky that we learn to find and identify. It's distinctive position at the top of the summer night sky and the graceful curve of its handle make it easy for almost anyone to find.
The link at right will take you to a map of the Ursa Major constellation where you will see where the Big Dipper is in relation to the actual constellation.