Where is the Big Dipper tonight?
The Big Dipper is seven bright stars shaped like a ladle, part of the constellation Ursa Major. It’s in the northern sky all year, but where it sits changes with the season and the hour. The box below shows where it is from your location right now.
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Where to look through the year
An old saying helps: “spring up, fall down.” On spring evenings the Big Dipper is high overhead, upside down. On summer evenings it hangs in the northwest with its handle up. On fall evenings it sits low along the northern horizon, and on winter evenings it stands on its handle in the northeast.
From the northern US and Canada it never sets. From the southern states it dips so low on fall evenings that trees and buildings can hide it, but it climbs back up in the northeast before dawn.
The stars it points to
The two stars at the end of the bowl, Merak and Dubhe, point to Polaris, the North Star. Follow the curve of the handle away from the bowl and you’ll reach Arcturus, a bright orange star: “arc to Arcturus.” Keep going in the same direction to find Spica: “speed on to Spica.”
Its seven stars
From the bowl to the end of the handle, the stars are Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar and Alkaid. Look closely at Mizar, the middle star of the handle: a fainter star, Alcor, sits right next to it. Seeing both was a traditional test of good eyesight.
Five of the seven stars travel through space together, about 80 light-years away. Dubhe and Alkaid are heading elsewhere, so over tens of thousands of years the Dipper will slowly lose its shape.
Questions
Is the Big Dipper a constellation?
Not officially. It’s an asterism, a familiar pattern inside the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear, where it forms the bear’s back and tail.
Why can’t I see the Big Dipper tonight?
On fall evenings in the southern US it’s low on the northern horizon, often behind trees or houses. Try again before dawn, or check the box above to see where it is right now.
What is the Big Dipper called in other countries?
In the UK and Ireland it’s the Plough. Other names include the Saucepan and, in parts of Europe, the Great Wagon.
Is the Little Dipper next to the Big Dipper?
Nearby. The Little Dipper hangs from Polaris and is much fainter. The tiny dipper-shaped group that people often mistake for it is a star cluster, the Pleiades.