Star profile

Alioth

Epsilon Ursae Majoris · Ursa Major

Variable star

3D likeness based on its real data · class A · ~8,500 K

What is Alioth

Alioth is the brightest star of the Big Dipper and the first of the four that trace its bowl. Its name, derived from the Arabic «alyat», once designated the fat tail of the celestial Bear. It belongs to a rare class of magnetic variables: its surface holds patches of heavy elements that rotate with the star and gently modulate its white light, 82 light years from here.

Where it is and when to see it

Alioth lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is February: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.

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The signature wall

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Write my signature

A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.

Astronomical data for Alioth

Constellation: Ursa Major
Apparent magnitude: 1.76
Distance: 82.6 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 193.507° · Dec 55.960°
Catalogue: HIP 62956 · HD 112185

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

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