Big Dipper
About Big Dipper
The most famous asterism, formed by the seven brightest stars of Ursa Major. Merak and Dubhe, the pointer stars at the edge of the bowl, lead the eye to Polaris. Mizar in the handle hides a faint companion, Alcor, a naked eye test used since antiquity. Known as the Plough in Britain and the Great Wagon in Germany. Circumpolar for much of the Northern Hemisphere, so it never sets.
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