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Kochab and Pherkad: Outer bowl stars of the Little Dipper

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Deborah Byrd

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April 7, 2026

A dipper-shaped star pattern with a pink arrow going from 2 stars to a distant star in another dipper. — Kochab and Pherkad are the outer stars in the bowl of the Little Dipper, an asterism in the northern sky. Chart via EarthSky.

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Meet Kochab and Pherkad

Tonight, find the stars Kochab and Pherkad in the Little Dipper.

Have you noticed it’s not easy to find the Little Dipper? That’s because it’s fainter and looks less like a dipper than the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper asterism appears high in the northeast sky at nightfall on spring evenings and wheels above Polaris in the late evening.

So, how do you find Polaris? If you draw an imaginary line between the two outer stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper and extend that line northward on the sky’s dome, you’ll come to Polaris, the North Star. Polaris is part of the Little Dipper. It marks the end of the Little Dipper’s handle. Then, look for Kochab and Pherkad. They are the two outer stars in the bowl of the Little Dipper.

Star chart: constellation Ursa Minor with the Little Dipper inside, with stars in black on white. — The constellation Ursa Minor the Lesser Bear. Kochab and Pherkad are the 2 outer stars in the bowl of the Little Dipper. Chart via ESO/ IAU/ Sky and Telescope (CC BY 4.0).

Pole stars

Of course, Polaris is special because Earth’s axis nearly points to its location in the sky. Polaris is less than a degree away from the true north celestial pole on the sky’s dome now. It’ll be closest to true north – less than half a degree away – in the year 2102. The change is due to a motion of Earth called “precession,” which causes Earth’s axis to trace out a circle among the stars every 26,000 years.

A line from Earth's axis with far end moving around a circle on the stellar background. — The 26,000-year cycle of precession. It’s caused by a wobble of Earth. Over this cycle, Earth’s northern axis can be imagined to trace out a circle on the celestial sphere. Therefore, precession causes Earth’s northern axis to point to different stars. For example, the identity of Earth’s Pole Star, or North Star, shifts over the cycle of 26,000 years. Image via Tfr000/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

However, thousands of years ago, Polaris was an ordinary star in the northern sky, known to the Greeks by the name Phoenice.

Other ordinary stars in the northern sky – Kochab and Pherkad, the two outermost stars in the bowl of the Little Dipper – have had the honor of being pole stars. Kochab and Pherkad served as twin pole stars from about 1500 BCE to about 500 BCE. They’re still sometimes called the Guardians of the Pole.

Kochab is located about 130 light-years away. Pherkad is more distant, at about 487 light-years by some estimates. Meanwhile, Polaris is a about 434 light-years away.

Bottom line: Kochab and Pherkad are stars in the Little Dipper asterism. Maybe you can find the Big Dipper but not the Little Dipper? This post will help.

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April 7, 2026

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Sky Archive

Deborah Byrd

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About the Author:

Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.