Star profile

Theta Ursae Majoris

Nearby star

3D likeness based on its real data · class F · ~6,500 K

What is Theta Ursae Majoris

θ Ursae Majoris is a quiet neighbor: at 44 light-years, its yellow-white glow takes barely a human lifetime to reach us. An F-class star slightly hotter and younger than the Sun, it follows the Great Bear without belonging to the inner asterism of the Plough. Through binoculars on a clear night it shines with the steady calm of nearby suns — the ones the cosmos keeps almost within arm's reach.

Where it is and when to see it

Theta Ursae Majoris lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is January, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it never sets and culminates about 90° up.
From New York it never sets and culminates about 79° up.
From Sydney it culminates about 4° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 38° S.

It ranks no. 10 in brightness among the 124 stars of Ursa Major in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alioth, the brightest: it lies about 29° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 44 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Theta Ursae Majoris

Constellation: Ursa Major
Apparent magnitude: 3.17
Distance: 44.0 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 143.216° · Dec 51.677°
Catalogue: HIP 46853 · HD 82328

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Other stars in Ursa Major

Ursa Major has 124 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 124 stars in Ursa Major