The dominant constellation on this map is Ursa Major the Great Bear. Because this region is far from the Milky Way — where star clusters and nebulae abound — most of the great deep-sky objects here are galaxies. If you don't have a go-to telescope, the seven stars of the Big Dipper can help you find these objects.

Start with the galaxies on Messier's list: Bode's Galaxy (M81), the Cigar Galaxy (M82), M101, M108, and M109. An eyepiece/telescope combination that provides a field of view wider than ½° will catch both M81 and M82. Higher magnifications will reveal a large core and tight, graceful spiral arms in M81, and a wide, dark lane and splotchy bright areas in M82.

Many large spiral galaxies have up to a dozen nearby galaxies that, with the primary object, form a group. The M81 Group lies 11 million light-years away and counts about a dozen galaxies. To see them, use an 8-inch or larger scope from a dark site. On the other side of M81 from M82 is NGC 3077, a 10th-magnitude spiral.

It's worth finding the Owl Nebula (M97), a bright planetary nebula in Ursa Major. Under a dark sky, a 4-inch or larger telescope will show the Owl's face, which contains two round, dark areas (the "eyes"). The Owl is a low-surface-brightness object that, except for a bit of a mottled surface, doesn't have a lot of detail.

The most famous double star in the sky lies at the bend of the Big Dipper's handle, and you don't need a telescope to see it. Alcor (80 Ursae Majoris) and Mizar (Zeta Ursae Majoris) once were a vision test for Roman soldiers. Mizar itself, however, is a much closer double star with a separation of only 14".