Connect the Stars
Finding constellations is like playing a cosmic game of connect-the-dots. Star gazers use their imaginations to “draw” lines that connect the stars in a group to turn it into a shape. The name of a constellation usually comes from its shape, but not always. Sometimes stargazers imagine that the shape of a constellation represents a character from a popular story. In those cases, the constellations are named after the characters they represent.
In the case of the Big Dipper, though, its name comes from its shape. The Big Dipper is one of the most famous patterns of stars in the world. If you’ve ever spent time looking at the night sky, you’ve probably seen the Big Dipper. It’s visible in most parts of the world on most nights of the year. In some parts of the world, it’s visible on every clear night of the year.
If you connect the dots between its seven bright stars, you can see a rectangle with three stars trailing from the corner. If you use your imagination, the rectangle becomes a bowl, and the three stars are in just the right order to make a curved handle.