Ursa Minor | Little Dipper, Polaris, Northern Sky | Britannica (original) (raw)

Star trails centred on the north celestial pole, located near the star Polaris in the constellation Ursa Minor.

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Also known as: Lesser Bear, The Little Bear

Written and fact-checked by

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Also called:

the Little Bear

Ursa Minor, in astronomy, a constellation of the northern sky, at about 15 hours right ascension and 80° north declination, and seven of whose stars outline the Little Dipper. Polaris (Alpha Ursae Minoris), at the end of the Little Dipper’s handle, marks (roughly) the position of the north celestial pole and is the brightest star in Ursa Minor, with a magnitude of 2.0.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.