Stars in other parts of the sky have been found to belong to the same cluster. The star’s traditional name, Phecda (or Phad), is derived from the Arabic phrase fakhð ad-dubb, which means “the thigh of the bear.”. The star has six solar masses and is about 700 times more luminous than the Sun. It is a binary system composed of two close stars in a circular orbit with a period of 0.3336 days. The Big Dipper is not a constellation itself, but an asterism, which is a distinctive group of stars. Ursa Major was trained by the Soviet Military, and trained in the use of his powers by Professor Phobos, being a graduate of Professor Phobos's mutant training school. Winnecke 4 is another binary star in Ursa Major. This only further infuriated Hera and she persuaded her foster parents Oceanus and Tethys never to let the bear bathe in the northern waters. Owl Nebula – Messier 97 (NGC 3587), photo: Jessica Barton, Faulkes Telescope North. There is a dedicated page for exoplanets in Ursa Major. The p stands for peculiar because the star’s spectrum of light is similar to that of an Alpha-2 Canum Venaticorum variable. Seeing the scene from Olympus, Zeus intervened to prevent disaster. The galaxy’s apparent size is 26.9 x 14.1 arc minutes. Alkaid is the easternmost star in the Big Dipper asterism. The star’s traditional name, Alula Borealis, is derived from the Arabic word al-Ūlā, which means “the first (leap),” and the Latin word for “northern,” borealis. It got its name because of its appearance of owl-like eyes when observed through a large telescope. Ursa Major is a northern celestial hemispheric constellation. How to use a word that (literally) drives some pe... Name that government! The star’s traditional name comes from the Arabic word alyat, which means “fat tail of a sheep.” Alioth is the star in the bear’s tail that is closest to the body of the bear. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). It dropped to third place with the discovery of Kapteyn’s Star in the constellation Pictor and Barnard’s Star in Ophiuchus. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The furthest figure is derived from either the 1997 or 2007 Hipparcos star catalogue parallax figure and it has been known to produce distances that are wrong. Alioth belongs to the Ursa Major Moving Group (Collinder 285), a group of stars that includes most of the brightest stars in the constellation Ursa Major. Chu (University of Illinois, Urbana). Ursa Major is the third largest constellation in the sky, occupying an area of 1280 square degrees. Rhea, Zeus’ mother, smuggled their youngest child to the island of Crete, where the nymphs Adrasteia and Ida nursed young Zeus for a year. In a fit of rage, Hera turned Callisto into a bear. The star has an apparent magnitude of 3.45 and is approximately 138 light years distant. It is the fourth closest star system to our solar system, after Alpha Centauri, Barnard’s Star and Wolf 359. The galaxy can be seen about 10 degrees northwest of the star Dubhe (Alpha Ursae Majoris). It has an apparent magnitude of 1.76 and is approximately 81 light years distant. This website uses cookies to personalise content and ads, and to analyse user traffic. The dimmest star that a person is able to see with their naked eye is 6.0 magnitude based on the table in the reference. In Greek mythology, Ursa Major is identified as Callisto, one of Zeus' many … The days of “grooming” and “beauty” are over. The Owl Nebula has a 16th magnitude star at its centre. Its brightest stars form the Big Dipper asterism, one of the most recognizable shapes in the sky, also known as the Plough. Get rolling with a two-week supply of our bestsellers, risk free.

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