Most people have never seen the Little Dipper, because most of its stars are too dim to be seen through light-polluted skies.

Mizar, a star in the Big Dipper's handle, has a tiny companion. This star, Alcor, was known to the ancients. The pair was ...

July stargazing is certainly a late show, but it’s worth losing some sleep over because it’s now prime time for summer ...

It’s an asterism — a small, eye-catching, connect-the-dots pattern made of stars lying either within a single constellation or in neighboring constellations. In the case of the Big Dipper, it ...

Officially, the Dipper is not a full-fledged constellation, but an asterism — just a part of the constellation known as Ursa Major, the Great Bear. And indeed, Ursa Major is a big bear.

The seven brightest stars of the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear, form this well-known asterism which is known as the Big Dipper. Photograph by Jamie Cooper.

This week on Star Watch you will be able to see multiple planets in the night sky and the big and little dipper constellations. Friday, June 28, at 11 PM you will be able to see 2 planets in the sky.

Most of us can spot the group of stars known as the Plough or the Big Dipper. But there’s more to explore here, says Abigail ... and, by extension, Ursa Major, the constellation in which it ...

July stargazing is certainly a late show, but it is worth losing some sleep over because it is now prime time for summer ...