Animation of the Plough constellation. The Plough, also known as the Big Dipper, is part of the much larger constellation Ursa Major Great Bear. The handle of the Plough the row of three stars on the left forms the tail of the Great Bear while the bowl the four stars on the right is part of its back. The plough is made up of 7 stars, which are, in order of being highlighted, include Alkaid, Mizar, Alioth, Megrez , Dubhe Alpha Ursae Majoris, Merak, and Phecda. The relative sizes of these stars are shown as are their distances from the Sun.