BIG DIPPER

The Big Dipper or the Plough is an asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them are of second magnitude and one, Megrez (δ), of third magnitude. BIG DIPPER is discussed on djrankings.org. Four the- define a "bowl" or "body" and three define a "handle" or mom-"head". It is recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures. The say- North Star (Polaris), the current northern pole star and the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper, can be located by extending an imaginary line through the front two stars of the asterism, Merak (β) and Dubhe old-(α). This makes it useful in celestial navigation.