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Constellations listed by PtolemyHeraldic chargesNorthern constellationsUrsa Major

Ursa Major

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

The Big Dipper constellation shining in the night sky over King City, Canada.

Ursa Major: The Great Bear

Ursa Major, also called the Great Bear, is one of the most famous groups of stars in the night sky. People have enjoyed looking at it for thousands of years! It is easy to spot because part of it looks like a spoon or a wagon. We call this part the Big Dipper.

Two stars in the Big Dipper, named Dubhe and Merak, help us find an important star called Polaris. Polaris is the northern pole star. It helps people find north, just like a compass!

Ursa Major is visible all year for most places in the Northern Hemisphere. It looks different depending on where you are and the time of year, but it is always fun to see. The constellation also appears on the flag of Alaska.

Ursa Major is the third largest group of stars in the night sky. It touches eight other star groups, including Draco, Boötes, and Canes Venatici. Many cultures around the world have special stories about the Great Bear.

Images

A stunning view of the Pinwheel Galaxy, a beautiful spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.
A colorful star chart showing the Ursa Major constellation from a historic astronomy book.
Illustration showing how to locate the North Star, Polaris, using the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor constellations.
An ancient stone carving from around 1700 in Crail, Fife, showing the constellation Ursa Major.
A historical star chart showing the Ursa Major constellation, part of the night sky.
The constellation Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear, is a group of stars visible in the night sky.
An artist's illustration of HE 1523-0901, one of the oldest known stars in our galaxy, located about 7,500 light-years from Earth.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Ursa Major, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.