The Plough: how to find the Big Dipper from the UK
Last updated 4 November 2026
The Plough is a pattern of seven bright stars shaped like a saucepan, and from the UK it can be seen on every clear night of the year. Look north. On spring evenings it is high overhead; in summer it hangs from its handle in the north-west; in autumn it lies low along the northern horizon; and in winter it stands on its handle in the north-east.
Where it is through the year
From the UK the Plough is circumpolar: it circles the North Star and never sets. Where you find it depends on the season and the hour. In the mid-evening:
| Season | Where to look | Which way up |
|---|---|---|
| Spring (Mar–May) | Very high, almost overhead | Upside down, bowl pointing down |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | High in the north-west | Hanging from its handle |
| Autumn (Sep–Nov) | Low in the north | Level, skimming the horizon |
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | North-east, climbing | Standing on its handle |
On autumn evenings it can hide behind trees and rooftops from southern England, so find a clear view to the north.
What the Plough is
Strictly, it is an asterism: a well-known star pattern that is not one of the official constellations. Its seven stars form the back and tail of Ursa Major, the Great Bear, the third-largest of the 88 constellations. North Americans call it the Big Dipper; in Britain and Ireland it has long been the Plough, and an older name is Charles's Wain, a wain being a farm wagon. Four stars make the bowl, or blade, and three curve away as the handle.
The seven stars
From the end of the bowl round to the tip of the handle:
| Star | Position | Magnitude | Distance (light years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubhe | Top of the bowl, outer edge (a Pointer) | 1.8 | 124 |
| Merak | Bottom of the bowl, outer edge (a Pointer) | 2.4 | 79 |
| Phecda | Bottom of the bowl, inner edge | 2.4 | 84 |
| Megrez | Where the bowl meets the handle | 3.3 | 81 |
| Alioth | First star of the handle | 1.8 | 81 |
| Mizar | Middle of the handle | 2.1 | 78 |
| Alkaid | Tip of the handle | 1.9 | 104 |
Megrez is clearly the faintest, which makes it a handy test of the night: if you struggle to see it, light pollution or haze is costing you stars.
Mizar and Alcor, the eyesight test
Look hard at Mizar, the middle star of the handle. Right beside it is a much fainter star, Alcor. Seeing the two apart with the naked eye has long counted as a test of good eyesight, and the pair are nicknamed the Horse and Rider. A small telescope shows that Mizar is itself double; it was the first double star discovered with a telescope, in 1617.
Where the Plough points
- To the North Star. Follow Merak through Dubhe, the Pointers, for about five times their separation to reach Polaris. Our step-by-step guide is how to find the North Star.
- Arc to Arcturus, spike to Spica. Follow the curve of the handle away from the bowl and keep the same gentle arc to orange Arcturus, in Boötes, the brightest star of spring and summer evenings. Carry on in a straighter "spike" to blue-white Spica, in Virgo.
- To Leo. Megrez and Phecda, on the inner side of the bowl, point the opposite way from Polaris. Follow them away from the North Star to reach Leo, the Lion, and its brightest star, Regulus.
- To Capella and the Twins. A long line from Megrez through Dubhe heads towards bright Capella in Auriga, and a line from Megrez diagonally across the bowl through Merak points roughly at Castor and Pollux. Approximate, but they connect the Plough to the winter constellations.
Ursa Major is one of our constellations. A star named in Ursa Major sits in the same constellation as the Plough, so the saucepan becomes the signpost to it. The named star is magnitude 6.5 or fainter, which means binoculars or a telescope for the star itself, but the coordinates sheet charts it among the Plough's bright stars so you can point to the right patch of sky. See how to find a named star in the sky.
Is its shape changing?
Very slowly. Five of the seven stars, all except Dubhe and Alkaid, travel through space together as a loose family called the Ursa Major Moving Group. Dubhe and Alkaid are heading elsewhere, so over many tens of thousands of years the saucepan will gradually bend out of shape. Within a human lifetime the change is far too small to see.
Because it is up every night and really does look like a saucepan, the Plough is one of the best patterns to show children; see stargazing with kids.
Common questions
Is the Plough the same as the Big Dipper?
Yes. The Plough is the British and Irish name for the seven-star pattern North Americans call the Big Dipper. Both names describe the same stars, which form part of the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear.
Can you see the Plough all year in the UK?
Yes. From the UK the Plough is circumpolar, so it never sets and is visible on every clear night of the year, although on autumn evenings it sits low in the north and can be hidden by trees or buildings.
Why is it called the Plough?
The seven stars were likened to an old horse-drawn plough, with the handle as the plough's handles and the bowl as its blade. An older British name, Charles's Wain, compares it to a farm wagon.
Which stars of the Plough point to the North Star?
Merak and Dubhe, the two stars at the outer end of the bowl, known as the Pointers. Follow the line from Merak through Dubhe about five times their separation to reach Polaris.
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