noun
Abbreviation of 北斗七星. Used in astronomy and everyday contexts to refer to the well-known asterism.
See also: 北斗七星
今夜は北斗がきれいに見える。
Tonight the Big Dipper is clearly visible.
北斗 is the common abbreviation; 北斗七星 is the full formal name for the Big Dipper.
From Chinese 北斗 (Běidǒu), literally 'northern dipper'. The Japanese reading ほくと is the on'yomi.