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The Significance of the Stars in the Big Dipper

The Big Dipper is the most recognized constellation in Northern skies. The Big Dipper's seven stars are visible from any northern city on earth. To the naked eye, there are 3 stars in the handle, and 4 that make up the bowl. In order from the handle's tip counterclockwise around the bowl, the stars are Alkaid, Mizar, Alioth, Megrez, Phecta, Merak and Dubhe.

Star 1: Alkaid
- Alkaid, or Eta Ursae Majoris, is a blueish-white star of a 1.9 magnitude, making it the 35th brightest star in the sky, but only the third brightest in the dipper. It is one of the hottest stars visible with the naked eye at 20,000 degrees Kelvin, notes Jim Kaler, professor emeritus of astronomy, University of Illinois.
  
  Alkaid is 101 light years from earth.
Star 2: Mizar
- Mizar appears to the naked eye to be one star but it is actually six stars, the quadruple star system Mizar and the binary star Alcor. Mizar and Alcor are only three light years apart, and 78 light years from earth.
  
  Mizar and Alcor together are sometimes called the Horse and Rider.
Star 3: Alioth
- Alioth or Epsilon Ursae Majoris is the last of the handle stars in the Big Dipper, and the star closest to the Dipper bowl. Alioth is 81 light years from Earth.
  
  The name Alioth is Arabic and means "fat tail of the sheep."
Star 4 : Megrez
- Megrez or Delta Ursae Majoris is one of the bowl stars closest to the handle. Like Alioth, Megrez is about 81 light years away from earth. Megrez is about 25 times as bright as the sun and is the brightest star in the Big Dipper.
  
  Megrez's name comes from Arabic and means "the root of the tail."
Star 5: Phecda
- Phecda or Gamma Ursae Majoris is one of the bowl stars that forms the bottom of the bowl closest to the handle.
  
  Phecda's name comes from Arabic and means "the thigh."
Star 6: Merak
- Merak or Beta Ursae Majoris is the other bottom bowl stars in the Big Dipper. It is 79 million light years from earth and 60 times more luminous than the sun.
  
  Merak's name comes from Arabic and means "the lion."
Star 7: Dubhe
- Dubhe or Alpha Ursae Majoris is the last of the 4 bowl stars. It is the farthest of the Big Dipper stars from Earth, at a distance of 124 light years, and with Mizar, the dimmest of the Big Dipper stars.
  
  Dubhe's name comes from Arabic and means "the bear" or "back of the bear."
Looking North
- Using Merek as the tail of an arrow and Dubhe as a point, the two stars form a line that points to a relatively open area of sky with just one bright star. That bright star is Polaris, or the North Star. Following that star will always lead you due north.

Astronomy