It's not. It's an "asterism" ... a conspicuous pattern that's a part of the larger constellation.
The constellation it's part of is Ursa Major ... the big bear.
true NO NO NO NO NO! My teacher would yell at you. The big dipper is NOT a constellation. The big dipper is a part of Ursa Major, the Big Bear. Therefore, the statement is FALSE. The big dipper is an Asterism, not a Constellation.
The Big Dipper is not a smaller constellation. The Big Dipper is a part of an even larger constellation. The Big Dipper is a part of the Constellation, Ursula Major or Big Bear. It is only part of the Bear. Likewise, the little dipper is part of a larger constellation, Ursula Minor or Little Bear.
...the answer is... ...Ursa Major...
While generally thought of as one, the Big Dipper is NOT a constellation. It is an asterism - a group of stars that are part of a constellation. The Big Dipper is part of the constellation Ursa Major (the great bear).
Inside the constellation
The Big Dipper is not a constellation itself, but rather an asterism - a pattern of stars within the constellation Ursa Major. The Big Dipper spans about 10 degrees of the sky, which is roughly the width of your fist held at arm's length.
No the big dipper is IN Ursa Major and the little dipper is in Ursa Minor
Next to the Big Dipper is the constellation Ursa Major, which is commonly known as the Great Bear. Just to the east of the Big Dipper is the constellation Leo, another prominent constellation in the night sky.
The Big Dipper is part of the Ursa Major constellation.
the big dipper
The Big Dipper
The North Star, also known as Polaris, is located in the handle of the Little Dipper constellation. The Big Dipper is part of the Ursa Major constellation.