Ursa Minor (
Latin: "Smaller She-Bear", contrasting with
Ursa Major), also known as the
Little Bear, is a
constellation in the
northern sky. Like the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be seen as the handle of a ladle, hence the North American name,
Little Dipper: seven stars with four in its bowl like its partner the
Big Dipper. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer
Ptolemy, and remains one of the
88 modern constellations. Ursa Minor has traditionally been important for
navigation, particularly by mariners, because of
Polaris being the
North Star.