Starwatch: getting to know the Great Bear

Ursa Major covers a little more than 3% of the entire night sky, making it the third largest constellation by area

The seven brightest stars in Ursa Major, the Great Bear, form the shape known as the Plough, or the Big Dipper, or by a number of other names in different cultures.

The association with a bear dates to antiquity, when it was listed in Ptolemy's original 48 constellations from the second century AD. Now incorporated into the International Astronomical Union's list of 88 modern constellations, it covers a little more than 3% of the entire night sky, making it the third largest constellation by area.