Ursa Major

Big Dipper

Plough, Charles's Wain

common observer pattern · high confidence

The famous ladle is the brightest northern guide-pattern: use Merak-to-Dubhe to hop to Polaris, then follow the bent handle to Arcturus. At 50°N it is circumpolar but rides highest on spring evenings.

Central RA: 12^h 20^m 02.0^s
Central Dec: +55° 34′ 47″
Brightest member: V 1.77
Best months from 50°N: March–June evenings
Suggested instrument: naked-eye
Approx. span: 25.7°

Finder context

Use the nearby bright stars to locate the gold box, then move to the larger chart for the pattern itself.

Framing: Approximate member-star span: 25.7°; use at least 36.0° field for context.

Observing and imaging

Naked eye

Start with the unaided eye. Suburban skies usually show the main stars.

Binoculars

Binoculars are optional: use them to check colours, nearby doubles, or richer Milky Way background.

Small scope

A telescope is usually too narrow for the whole shape; use it after the pattern has guided you to a target.

Imaging

Frame a 36° field around Ursa Major to include the pattern and its nearby stars.

Tonight from your latitude

Set your location and date to see a useful window, peak altitude, sky visibility, and Moon conditions. Use Month to compare the season ahead.

Latitude 50°NLongitude -114°Date Month Sky darkness Bortle 4 · limit V 6.1

Naked-eye visibility by sky class

Bortle class rates night-sky brightness. The atlas counts a pattern as recognisable when at least 70% of its defining stars are visible.

Bortle 3: 7/7 stars — fully visibleBortle 5: 7/7 stars — fully visibleBortle 7: 7/7 stars — fully visible

Moon impact

For 50°N in the best month, green dates mark at least two hours with the pattern above 20° and the Moon below the horizon.

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Member stars

Name	Bayer / Flamsteed	HR	RA J2000	Dec J2000	V mag
Alioth	77Eps UMa	HR 4905	12^h 54^m 01.7^s	+55° 57′ 35″	1.77
Dubhe	50Alp UMa	HR 4301	11^h 03^m 43.7^s	+61° 45′ 03″	1.79
Alkaid	85Eta UMa	HR 5191	13^h 47^m 32.4^s	+49° 18′ 48″	1.86
Mizar	79Zet UMa	HR 5054	13^h 23^m 55.5^s	+54° 55′ 31″	2.27
Merak	48Bet UMa	HR 4295	11^h 01^m 50.5^s	+56° 22′ 57″	2.37
Phecda	64Gam UMa	HR 4554	11^h 53^m 49.8^s	+53° 41′ 41″	2.44
Megrez	69Del UMa	HR 4660	12^h 15^m 25.6^s	+57° 01′ 57″	3.31

Source and confidence

common observer pattern; high confidence. A commonly used constellation-part or seasonal guide pattern.

Citations

Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed.: Hoffleit, D. & Warren, W.H. Jr. (1991). Positions, V magnitudes, Bayer/Flamsteed identifiers. source
Star Names and Their Meanings: Allen, R.H. (1899). Public-domain skylore and traditional names.
Star Tales: Ridpath, I. Constellation and asterism notes used to cross-check common sky-pattern names. source
The Hipparcos and Tycho Catalogues: ESA SP-1200 (1997). Used as the modern astrometric reference named by the atlas; the MVP pages expose BSC5 J2000 fields for the plotted bright-star members.