ursa major | EarthSky

Dots and lines making the shape of the Big Dipper plus the longer form including the head and legs of Ursa Major.

Ursa Major the Great Bear, home to the Big Dipper

Ursa Major the Great Bear is in Northern Hemisphere skies and is home to the asterism of the Big Dipper, which you can use to find other constellations.

M81 and M82: A spiral galaxy and cigar-shaped galaxy with blue tendrils interacting.

M81 and M82 as never seen before

Get a fresh look at galaxies M81 and M82 in Ursa Major. These incredible images combine hours of exposures and processing for a look at fine structures.

Visible planets and night sky guide for June and July

EarthSky's visible planets and night sky guide. Find out why June's full moon is so low in the sky for Northern Hemisphere observers in today's livestream.

Astro quiz: Test your night sky know-how here!

How well do you know the night sky? Test your know-how of stars, constellations and more with this fun astro quiz. Enjoy!

Star chart with radial arrows from a spot below the Great Square of Pegasus and above the star Fomalhaut.

Meteor shower guide 2026: Up next … Delta Aquariids

Up next is the Delta Aquariid meteor shower, they'll compete with a waning gibbous moon. Watch for meteors in dark skies before dawn the week before July 30.

A white streak shoots across star trails in the sky, over a body of water lined with trees and buildings.

See the International Space Station before it’s gone

The International Space Station has been orbiting our planet since 1998. Here's how to spot the ISS soaring overhead in your nighttime sky.

A yellowish galaxy with blue spirals seen head-on, surrounded by sparse bright stars.

Best deep-sky photos of May 2026 from the EarthSky community

Enjoy this gallery of deep-sky photos from May 2026 by our EarthSky community. If you have a great photo to share, we'd love to see it!

Group of stars, long pointed oblong, with a bright star at its narrow end labeled Arcturus.

Arcturus, brightest star of the northern sky

Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern half of the sky. It's easy to find in spring in the Northern Hemisphere near the handle of the Big Dipper.

Star chart: 4 labeled stars at ends of cross arms and small dots for a labeled star cluster.

Meet Crux, the constellation of the Southern Cross

Crux, the constellation of the Southern Cross, is a hallmark of southern skies and contains the open cluster known as the Jewel Box.

loudy band of Milky Way arching over desert hills and tower-like rock formations.

Which moon phase is best for stargazing? That depends.

Which moon phase is best for stargazing? Most astronomers would tell you that the best moon is no moon. But it depends on what you want to see.

A yellowish galaxy, brighter in the middle, seen almost on edge with tick marks pointing at a star near the center.

See the best deep-sky photos of April 2026

Enjoy this gallery of deep-sky photos for April 2026 from our EarthSky community. If you have a great photo to share, we'd love to see it!

Many short glowing streaks in a mostly dark sky. One has a bright explosion at its end.

Meteor showers are here! 10 easy tips for watching

Meteor showers are unpredictable but nothing beats them for a fun and relaxing time under the stars. Here are our 10 tips to optimize your meteor viewing time.

Star chart: Big Dipper with pink arrows from handle to Arcturus and then to Spica.

Follow the arc to Arcturus, then speed on to Spica

If you only ever learn 1 star mnemonic, make it this one! Arc to Arcturus and speed on to Spica to identify 2 of the sky's brightest stars.

A spherical cluster with a myriad bright stars, densely white at the center and less dense at the edges.

See the best deep-sky photos of March 2026

Enjoy this gallery of deep-sky photos for March 2026 from our EarthSky community. If you have a great photo to share, send it in, too. We love to see them!

A red arrow from 2 stars in the Big Dipper to the star Polaris, in the Little Dipper.

The Big and Little Dipper: How to find them in spring

You can spot the Big and Little Dipper in the northern sky year-round. Follow the Big Dipper’s pointer stars to find Polaris and the Little Dipper.

Coma Berenices: See how Leo the Lion lost his tail

Coma Berenices is the constellation of Queen Berenice's Hair. It used to be the tail of Leo the Lion before it became its own constellation.

Large, pinkish, multi-armed glowing spiral with at least 4 loosely-wound arms and hundreds of foreground stars.

What’s a galaxy? All you need to know about galaxies

What is a galaxy? We live in a galaxy called the Milky Way. But there is so much more to know about these grand and glorious star islands in space!

Chart: Lines connecting 8 dots more or less in a row. Two labeled dots (stars) at lower right.

Meet the constellation Lynx, overhead in March

The constellation Lynx represents a wild cat and passes high overhead in March skies for the Northern Hemisphere. Learn its stars and deep-sky objects.

Closeup of up 2 stars. Alcor, on the left, is smaller and yellowish, Mizar, on the right, is bigger and blue-white.

Mizar and Alcor in the bend of the Big Dipper

Mizar and Alcor are a famous pair of stars located at the bend of the handle of the Big Dipper. But what we see as 2 stars are really 6 stars!

Sky chart linking 2 stars in the Big Dipper to Polaris with an arrow, with 5 stars labeled.

Use the Big Dipper to find Polaris, the North Star

Do you know how to find the North Star? The 2 outer stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper point to Polaris, the North Star. It's quick and easy!

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Ursa Major the Great Bear, home to the Big Dipper

M81 and M82 as never seen before

Visible planets and night sky guide for June and July

Astro quiz: Test your night sky know-how here!

Meteor shower guide 2026: Up next … Delta Aquariids

See the International Space Station before it’s gone

Best deep-sky photos of May 2026 from the EarthSky community

Arcturus, brightest star of the northern sky

Meet Crux, the constellation of the Southern Cross

Which moon phase is best for stargazing? That depends.

See the best deep-sky photos of April 2026

Meteor showers are here! 10 easy tips for watching

Follow the arc to Arcturus, then speed on to Spica

See the best deep-sky photos of March 2026

The Big and Little Dipper: How to find them in spring

Coma Berenices: See how Leo the Lion lost his tail

What’s a galaxy? All you need to know about galaxies

Meet the constellation Lynx, overhead in March

Mizar and Alcor in the bend of the Big Dipper

Use the Big Dipper to find Polaris, the North Star