astronomy
: a group of stars of the second magnitude that is the second brightest component of the constellation Ursa Major
The outer two stars in the cup of the Big Dipper are called Dubhe and Merak. Together, they are called pointer stars and direct you across the sky to the star Polaris, also called the North Star.—Knoxville (Tennessee) News-Sentinel, 4 Sept. 2008
called also Alpha Ursae Majoris
Note: What is visible to the naked eye in the night sky as the star Dubhe is actually a system of four stars bound together gravitationally.
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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