Mizar

Its story

Mizar, set in the handle of the Big Dipper, was the first double star ever identified through a telescope, in 1617, opening an entire chapter of modern astronomy. At 86 light-years away, its visible companion Alcor — discernible to keen unaided eyes — served Arab and Roman observers for centuries as a popular eyesight test, long before spectacles existed. Its name comes from the Arabic «mizar», a sash or veil, and still summarises a good chunk of the shared history of naked-eye observation and instrumental astronomy.