A

David

Darling

asterism

Big Dipper

The Big Dipper (Plough), a well-known asterism that forms part of Ursa Major (the Great Bear).


An asterism is a distinctive pattern of stars in the sky but not including any of the 88 recognized constellations. Asterisms that form part of a single constellations include the Big Dipper (part of Ursa Major), the Northern Cross (part of Cygnus), the Square of Pegasus, Orion's Belt, the Sickle (part of Leo), the Teapot (part of Sagittarius), and the "W" or "M" of Cassiopeia. Asterisms whose stars lie in more than one constellation include the Summer Triangle, the Winter Triangle, and the Winter Hexagon.