Star profile

4 Ursae Minoris

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is 4 Ursae Minoris

4 Ursae Minoris shines near the celestial north pole, in the small box of the Little Bear that for centuries guided sailors and pilgrims. It is an orange K-type giant whose warm hue contrasts with the bluish glint of nearby Polaris. Its light crosses 457 years of darkness to reach us, a slow and steady emission that does not fade with the seasons.

Where it is and when to see it

4 Ursae Minoris 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 64° up.
From New York it never sets and culminates about 53° up.
From Sydney it never rises above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 12° S.

It ranks no. 9 in brightness among the 25 stars of Ursa Minor in our catalogue. To find it, start from Polaris, the brightest: it lies about 13° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 460 years ago.

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Astronomical data for 4 Ursae Minoris

Constellation: Ursa Minor
Apparent magnitude: 4.80
Distance: 456.9 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 212.212° · Dec 77.548°
Catalogue: HIP 69112 · HD 124547

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Other stars in Ursa Minor

Ursa Minor has 25 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 25 stars in Ursa Minor