Ursa Minor

Small constellation of the northern hemisphere, whose brighter stars form the asterism known in America as ‘the Little Dipper’. The bright pole star Polaris lies at the end of the dipper's handle.

Two other bright stars in this group, Beta and Gamma Ursae Minoris, are called ‘the Guards’ or ‘the Guardians of the Pole’. The constellation also contains the orange subgiant Kochab, about 95 light years from Earth.