Doorstep Astronomy: The Autumn Dipper

High overhead around the 8 p.m. local standard time is a bright configuration of stars that people unfamiliar with the sky often mistake for the Big Dipper. Big it is, but – at least in an official sense – a dipper it is not.

This large figure is not usually described as a dipper in most stargazing guides; you shouldn't expect to find any recognized authority for this Autumn Dipper. Truth be told, when starry dippers are mentioned, most people immediately think of the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper in the northern sky, and perhaps even the inverted Milk Dipper in Sagittarius.

The Autumn Dipper, in fact, looks like a much larger and brighter version of the Little Dipper.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20081107/sc_space/doorstepastronomytheautumndipper;_ylt=At4_ZwHqYHCu1FOS7hV5EatxieAA