Tonight

Find Polaris and Thuban via the Big Dipper in July

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July 15, 2026

Sky chart, facing north, showing the Big and Little Dippers with Polaris and Thuban. — Here’s the orientation of Dippers on July evenings. Note that Polaris is the end star in the handle of the Little Dipper. While the star Thuban, in the constellation Draco, lies between the 2 Dippers. What’s more, both Polaris and Thuban have been pole stars. Chart via EarthSky.

Tonight, use the Big Dipper asterism in the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear to find the sky’s northern pole star, Polaris. As a matter of fact, this is the star around which the whole northern sky appears to turn. Polaris – aka the North Star – is located nearly above Earth’s northern axis. Naturally, in times past, wanderers on the northern face of Earth used Polaris to stay on course.

Then once you find Polaris, you can also look for a famous former pole star. Thuban, in the constellation Draco the Dragon. That’s because it was a north pole star for the builders of the pyramids 5,000 years ago. (See how to find Thuban below.)

Use the Big Dipper to find Polaris

Look at the chart at the top of this post. To find Polaris, draw a line through the Big Dipper’s pointer stars Dubhe and Merak. That line will point to Polaris, our modern-day North Star. Of course, you can use this trick to find Polaris any evening, no matter how the Dipper is oriented with respect to your northern horizon.

Once you’ve got Polaris, if your sky is dark enough, you might be able to see the Little Dipper asterism. It’s harder to spot than the Big Dipper and needs a dark sky to be seen.

The chart above shows the Big Dipper, Little Dipper and star Polaris as you’ll see them in the north on July evenings. Polaris marks the end of the handle on the Little Dipper asterism, which is in the constellation Ursa Minor.

In other words, the Little Dipper is not the whole constellation. That’s because it’s just a noticeable pattern within the constellation Ursa Minor the Smaller Bear. To clarify, it’s known as an asterism, or a easy to recognize pattern of stars.

Polaris isn’t the brightest star in the sky, as is commonly supposed. It’s only the 47th brightest star.

Still, Polaris is plenty bright enough to be seen with ease on a dark, clear night.

Bright, thin, white concentric circles around Polaris, with a brighter, yellowish streak across the bottom. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eddie Little of North Carolina captured the stars circling around Polaris, the North Star, on January 2, 2025, and wrote: “I had a mostly cloudless, nearly moonless night on one of the longest nights of the year. Approximately 12 hours of shooting.” Thank you, Eddie! Polaris is the star around which the entire northern sky appears to turn.

Look between the Dippers to find Thuban

As night deepens, and the fainter stars of the Little Dipper spring into view, those of you with dark-enough skies can expect to see a winding stream of stars between the Big and Little Dippers. These meandering stars make up the constellation Draco.

The star Thuban is one of the stars here, part of the Tail of the legendary constellation Draco the Dragon, a fixture of the northern skies. You can always find Thuban by remembering it’s between the Big and Little Dippers.

Thuban is famous for having served as a pole star around 3000 B.C. This date coincides with the beginning of the building of the pyramids in Egypt. It’s said that the descending passage of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Gizeh was built to point directly at Thuban. So our ancestors knew and celebrated this star.

Draco and the Little Dipper with some stars labeled. — Thuban is part of Draco’s tail. And Eltanin and Rastaban mark the head of Draco the Dragon. You’ll find these stars in the northern sky. Chart via EarthSky.

Bottom line: Draw a line through the Big Dipper pointer stars to find Polaris, Earth’s northern pole star. And if your sky is dark, also look for a former pole star, Thuban.

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July 15, 2026

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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.