OtterKnow Kids EncyclopediaThe Little Dipper is a small group of stars that looks like a tiny spoon in the sky! It is smaller and harder to see than the Big Dipper, but it is very special. The Little Dipper holds one of the most important stars in the sky.
The Little Dipper is part of a constellation called Ursa Minor, which means “Little Bear.” The most famous star in the Little Dipper is the North Star, also called Polaris. It sits at the very tip of the Little Dipper’s handle. The North Star always stays in the same spot in the sky, which helps people find north!
- The North Star is not the brightest star in the sky, but it is the most useful for finding your way.
- Sailors used the North Star for hundreds of years to navigate across the ocean.
- The Little Dipper has seven stars, just like the Big Dipper!
