The Little Dipper is a pattern of seven stars in the northern sky that looks like a small ladle or cup with a long, curved handle. If you go outside on a clear night and look north, you might spot it: four stars form the cup part, and three more curve out to make the handle.

The most famous star in the Little Dipper sits at the end of its handle. That's Polaris, also called the North Star, which has guided travelers and sailors for thousands of years because it always stays in the same spot in the northern sky. If you can find Polaris, you can figure out which way is north.

The Little Dipper is actually part of a larger constellation called Ursa Minor, which means “Little Bear” in Latin. Ancient observers imagined the pattern as a small bear with an unusually long tail. Its companion pattern, the Big Dipper, is larger and easier to spot. A helpful trick: if you find the Big Dipper first, you can follow an imaginary line through the two stars at the front of its cup straight up to Polaris at the end of the Little Dipper's handle.