What are the "Big Dipper" and "Orion" examples of in the night sky?

The Big Dipper and Orion are examples of constellations in the night sky.

A constellation is a recognized pattern of stars as seen from Earth. The stars in a constellation may appear close together but can lie at very different distances from Earth and may have no physical connection to one another. The patterns are created by perspective and human interpretation.

The Big Dipper is a famous seven-star pattern within Ursa Major, the Great Bear. It is technically an asterism rather than a constellation itself. Its two outer bowl stars point toward Polaris, the North Star, making it a useful navigation guide in the Northern Hemisphere.

Orion is an official constellation, easily recognized by the three aligned stars of Orion’s Belt. It also contains notable objects such as Betelgeuse, a red supergiant, and the Orion Nebula. A common mix-up is calling every recognizable star pattern a constellation: patterns such as the Big Dipper are more precisely called asterisms, while Ursa Major is the constellation.