Big Dipper

If you live in the northern hemisphere, it's easy to see all year long. From the southern United States, it's easiest to see in the summer, but if you have a clear view to the north (without any trees or buildings in the way) you can see it very low on the northern horizon even in the winter. From Canada, Europe and much of Asia it is also quite easy to see on any clear night of the year.

The Big Dipper is part of the Ursa Major constellation and has been observed in the night sky for centuries. It is a prominent asterism made up of seven bright stars that are easily recognizable due to its distinctive shape, resembling a ladle or dipper. The stars in the Big Dipper are not physically connected; they simply appear close together from our viewpoint on Earth.

Not just the big dipper but all of the stars appear to rotate around the North Star because Earth is rotating. The North Star does not appear to move because it is in line with Earth's axis of rotation.

By following the handle of the Big Dipper, you can find the bright star Arcturus in the constellation Bootes. Arcturus is one of the brightest stars in the night sky and is easily visible in the early evening during the spring and summer months in the northern hemisphere.

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.

there are 5 stars in the big dipper's bowl.

In Greek mythology, the Big Dipper is associated with the story of Callisto, a beautiful woman turned into a bear by the jealous goddess Hera. Zeus placed Callisto in the sky as the constellation Ursa Major (which contains the Big Dipper) to protect her from harm. The Big Dipper is a prominent group of stars in the northern sky and has been recognized by various cultures throughout history.

I should imagine that NO planet is actually seen in any constellation, certainly not with the naked eye and even the most powerful earth and orbital telescopes can't see planets outside our own solar system. The constellation you refer, Big Dipper, aka Ursa Major or "The Great Bear." In the United Kingdom the constellation is referred to as "The Plough" because of it's resemblance to an old fashioned farming tool. The list of constellation star name, distances and magnitude (apparent brightness as measured by an earth observer) Name Apparent Magnitude Distance (L Yrs) Dubhe 1.8 124 Alkaid 1.9 101 Merak 2.4 79 Phecda 2.4 84 Megrez 3.3 81 Alioth 1.8 81 Mizar 2.1 78

When people saw something in the sky that looked like a bear.

On a clear night, around 2,500 stars are visible to the naked eye from any given spot on Earth. The number can vary slightly depending on light pollution and atmospheric conditions. With a telescope, millions of stars become visible.

The Big Dipper is not visible from Australia as it is a northern circumpolar constellation. In the southern hemisphere, people can see the Southern Cross, which is a prominent constellation in the night sky.

The Big Dipper not only circles the North Star every night and day, it also circles it more slowly every year. Think of it this way: If you looked at the big Dipper and could watch it for a 24 hour period, you would see it go from it's current place in the sky, all the way around until it was back in the place it was when you started watching it 24 hours earlier. However, in early evening winter, the Big Dipper is to the East of Polaris. In summer the Big Dipper is west of Polaris during the early evening hours. Just like the constellations - they rise and set because Earth rotates on it's axis, BUT because Earth ALSO goes around the sun, the stars seem to switch positions from winter to summer.

Some examples of prominent 5-star constellations visible from Earth include the Southern Cross (Crux), the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), Orion's Belt (Orion), the Pleiades (Seven Sisters), and the Summer Triangle (formed by the stars Altair, Deneb, and Vega).

The Big Dipper or Ursa Major takes approximately 23 hours and 56 minutes to return to the same position in the sky. This is because it is closely aligned with the north celestial pole, causing it to move in a circular path around the pole rather than rising and setting like other stars.

FANTASTIC question !! The sky is measured in degrees - for example: Altitude is measured as follows: the horizon is flat in front of you so we say that's zero degrees, when directly above your head is 90 degrees. Now, Azimuth is measured a different (but similar) way - North is zero degrees, East is 90 degrees, South is 180 degrees, West is 270 degrees, and then you come back to North which is a full circle - or 360 degrees. If you need to find an object in the sky and are given the Altitude and Azimuth - it becomes easy to find. If you make a fist and extend your arm out in front of you, the distance from the bottom of your fist to the top of your fist is APPROXIMATELY 10 degrees on the horizon (or sky). So if you make a fist, extend your arm towards the big dipper, and eyeball your fist so that the pinky side of your fist lines up with the last star of the big dipper, you will see that your fist covers about 10 + degrees of the Dipper. Two and a half of your fists should be the same length as the Big Dipper, which will roughly be 25 degrees. Try it !

The Big Dipper is not a star, but an asterism made up of seven bright stars that are part of the constellation Ursa Major. The stars in the Big Dipper range in magnitude from about 1.8 to 3.3.

The Big Dipper is an asterism in the constellation Ursa Major. It is shaped like a large ladle or dipper, with a handle and bowl made up of seven bright stars.

The Big Dipper is a collection of individual stars that appear to form a pattern in the sky

because of their positions. The individual stars have no connection or association with

each other. Each one has its own individual color, temperature, size, and distance from

our solar system.

The pointer stars in the Big Dipper point towards the North Star, also known as Polaris. Polaris is located directly above the North Pole and remains nearly stationary in the sky. This makes it a useful navigational tool for finding north.

The star that can be seen on the other side of the planet where it is daytime is the Sun, which is so bright -- except for during a total eclipse -- it outshines all the other stars.

To see what is/was behind the sun you will have to wait half a year until the earth's orbit takes it to the other side of the sun. Then the night sky will show you the stars that the sun was hiding. The constellations that are hidden by the sun in this way are those that form the zodiac. Constellations like the big dipper in the north are circumpolar (they are above rather than on a level with the sun) and thus remain visible all year.

The Big Dipper is larger and has a long handle and a deep bowl, while the Little Dipper is smaller with a shorter handle and shallower bowl. The Big Dipper is part of the Ursa Major constellation, while the Little Dipper is part of the Ursa Minor constellation.

The Big Dipper and the North Star are visible in the night sky of Alaska. The Big Dipper is a prominent constellation that is part of Ursa Major, while the North Star (Polaris) is located close to the north celestial pole, making it a helpful navigational aid for determining direction.

Any constellation is a group of stars that appear to form some kind of pattern,

but have no connection with each other. They all happen to be in roughly the

same direction from us, but they're all at different distances. So there's no

such thing as a constellation's distance from us.

There are seven stars that make up the Big Dipper. They are Alkaid, Mizar-Alcor and Alioth which make up the handle, and Phecda and Megrez which make up the back of the dipper. Merak and Dubhe complete the front end of the dipper.

• The Bible refers to the Big Dipper as "the seven stars" (Amos 5:8)
• The North Star can be found using the Big Dipper
• The Big Dipper contains the seven brightest stars of the constellation Ursa Major