The Big Dipper constellation is perhaps the most popular star cluster in the sky. This constellation is part of a larger constellation called Ursa Mayor or the Great Bear, which is alluded to in the legends of many cultures. This constellation helps in navigation and timing. This constellation is easy to find if you know what to look for.
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Part 1 of 4: Getting the Right Position
Step 1. Find the correct place
Position yourself in a location where there is no bright light. Your chances of finding the Big Dipper are greater in areas without light pollution.
- You can also position yourself at a point where the northern horizon is clearly visible.
- Wait until late at night. You won't be able to find the Big Dipper during the day. The best time to see it is between March and June around 10pm.
Step 2. Look north
To find the Big Dipper, you need to look up into the northern sky. Determine the direction of north using a map or compass. Look up a little so you can see the sky at a 60 degree angle.
- During midsummer and fall, the Big Dipper will be closer to the horizon so you don't have to look far up.
- If you're north of Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, the Big Dipper can be seen any time of year.
- If you live in New York or much further north, the Big Dipper will never sink to the horizon. If you live in the south, the Big Dipper is harder to see in the fall, when some of the stars are obscured.
Step 3. Determine the seasonal differences
Seasons matter in trying to see the Big Dipper. In spring and summer, the Big Dipper will be high in the sky. In winter or fall, this constellation is closer to the horizon.
- The phrase “spring up, falling down” will help you remember where to find the Big Dipper.
- In autumn, the Big Dipper will be on the horizon at night. In winter, the handle of the dipper will hang from the bowl. In spring, the shape of the dipper will reverse, and in summer the bowl will lean against the ground.
Part 2 of 4: Finding the Big Dipper
Step 1. Find the Big Dipper
The Big Dipper is shaped like a dipper and its handle. There are three stars within the hilt of the Big Dipper that form a line. There are also four stars that make up the bowl of the Big Dipper (shaped like an arbitrary rectangle). The entire Big Dipper can look like a kite, the thread of which is the handle and the kite is the bowl of the dipper.
- The last two stars in the handle of the Big Dipper are called pointers. The two are named Dubhe and Merak. The brightest star is Alioth, which is the third star on the hilt, closest to the bowl.
- The tip of the hilt of the Big Dipper is called Alkaid, which is a hot star and means “the leader.” This is the third brightest star in Ursa Major and six times larger than the sun. The star next to Alkaid on the hilt is Mizar, which is actually two double stars.
- Megrez is the star that connects the tail of the base of the bowl. This is the faintest of the seven Big Dipper. Phecda is known as the "thigh of the bear" which is south of Megrez and forms part of the arc.
Step 2. Find the North Star
If you can find the North Star, you can also find the Big Dipper, and vice versa. The North Star is usually bright. To find it, look up into the northern sky about 1/3 of the sky from the horizon to the top of the sky (which is called the zenith). The North Star is also named Polaris.
- The Big Dipper rotates around the North Star throughout the seasons and nights. The stars in the Big Dipper are as bright as the North Star. The North Star is often used for navigation because it points to "absolute north".
- The North Star is the brightest star in the Big Dipper and is at the tip of the hilt. Trace the imaginary line from the North Star down, and you can find two more stars on the handle of the Big Dipper, which are called the pointer stars because they point toward the Big Dipper. Polaris is about five stars from the distance between the pointer stars themselves.
Step 3. Use the Big Dipper to determine the time
The Big Dipper is what is called a circumpolar star. This means that the stars do not rise or set like the sun, but rotate around the north celestial pole.
- This star rotates on its axis throughout the night counterclockwise, starting at the bowl. One complete revolution around the axis takes one sidereal day. A sidereal day is 4 minutes shorter than the standard 24 hour day.
- Therefore, you can use the rotation of the Big Dipper to keep track of time.
Part 3 of 4: Studying the Legend of the Big Dipper
Step 1. Learn the story of the Big Dipper
Some Indians saw the bowl of the Big Dipper as a bear. The stars on the hilt are the three warriors chasing after him.
- Other Indians saw the bowl of the Big Dipper as the hip of a bear and the handle of the dipper as the tail of a bear. In Great Britain and Ireland, the Big Dipper is known as the “Plow”, which is a derivative of the Norse astrology who believed that the Big Dipper was the chariot of Odin, the leader of the gods. In Denmark, this star is called "Karlsvogna" aka Charles' horse-drawn carriage.
- Different cultures see the Big Dipper as something different. In China, Japan, and Korea, the Big Dipper is considered a spoon. In northern England as a machete, a chariot in Germany and Hungary, and a pan in the Netherlands. In Finland this constellation appears as salmon nets and coffins in Saudi Arabia.
- United States slaves managed to escape to the north by using the Underground Railroad (underground line) because they were told to follow the "drink drink". Thus, the Big Dipper was used as a method of navigation. Micmacs of Canada sees the Big Dipper as a space bear, with the three stars on the hilt being the hunter chasing the bear.
Step 2. Learn how far the Big Dipper is from Earth
The stars that make up the Big Dipper are part of the Ursa Major Cluster. The star in this cluster farthest from Earth is called Alkaid, which is at the hilt and is 210 light years from Earth.
- The other stars are Dubhe (105 light years); Phecda (90 light years); Mizar (88 light years); Peacock (78 light years); Alioth (68 light years); and Megrez (63 light years away).
- These stars are moving, which means that within 50,000 years, the shape of the Big Dipper will no longer be the same.
Part 4 of 4: Finding the Little Dipper and Ursa Major
Step 1. Use the North Star to find the Little Dipper
Once you find the Big Dipper, you can easily find the little Big Dipper.
- Remember that he is the farthest star on the Big Dipper pointing to the North Star. The North Star is the first star on the hilt of the Little Dipper.
- The Little Dipper is not as bright as the Big Dipper. However, it looks like the Big Dipper. This constellation has three stars that connect to a four-star bowl. The Little Big Dipper is harder to find because it isn't very bright, especially in urban areas.
Step 2. Use the Big Dipper to find Ursa Major
The Big Dipper is what is known as an asterism which means this star pattern is not a constellation. The Big Dipper is part of Ursa Major, the Big Bear.
- The stars in the Big Dipper are the tail and legs of a bear. The constellation Ursa Major is most clearly visible in April around 9 p.m. Use the image as a reference (easy to find online) so you can pinpoint the other stars that make up the Great Bear after finding the Big Dipper.
- Ursa Major is the third largest constellation and is one of the 88 official constellations.
