Constellation
The third-largest constellation, home to the Big Dipper asterism used for centuries to find true north.
| Type | Constellation |
|---|---|
| Area of sky | 1,280 sq° |
| Brightest star | Alioth |
| Brightest star magnitude | mag 1.77 |
| Hemisphere | Northern |
| Zodiac constellation | No |
| Discovered | 150 |
A constellation is a pattern drawn on the sky rather than a physical grouping: its stars are usually unrelated and sit at wildly different distances, just lined up as seen from Earth.
Ursa Major covers 1,280 square degrees of sky, which is 3.1 percent of the whole celestial sphere.
That makes it the 3rd largest of the 88 constellations the International Astronomical Union recognises.
It sits in the northern sky.
Its brightest star reaches magnitude 1.77, bright enough to pick out with the naked eye under a dark sky.
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