The Big Dipper, an asterism, appears as a saucepan or soup ladle in the northern night sky. It consists of seven bright stars that form the shape of a dipper. The stars are Alioth, Mizar, Alkaid, Megrez, Phecda, Merak, and Dubhe, which make up the body and handle of the dipper. When the Big Dipper is visible in the night sky, the two stars forming the front of the dipper's bowl point towards Polaris, the North Star. This makes the Big Dipper an important tool for stargazing and navigation.