Alkaid
(Blue-white star)- Benetnash
- Benetnasch
- Elkeid
- η UMa
- 85 UMa
- BD+50°2027
- FK5 509
- GC 18643
- HD 120315
- HIC 67301
- HIP 67301
- HR 5191
- PPM 53742
- SAO 44752
Alkaid is a main sequence star that primarily fuses hydrogen into helium. It is located in the northern celestial hemisphere and can be seen clearly with the naked eye from many regions including Northern America, Europe, and Asia.
LOCATION
Discover the celestial coordinates and distances that help us locate and understand this star's position in space.
When looking at celestial coordinates, you'll see three main position types: Right Ascension (RA) measures east-west position like longitude, Declination (Dec) measures north-south position like latitude, and Parallax helps determine a star's distance from Earth. Together, these coordinates help us pinpoint exactly where objects are in our night sky!
BASIC CHARACTERISTICS
Explore the fundamental properties that define this star's physical nature and evolution.
A star's basic characteristics - its mass, size, temperature, age, and luminosity - are all interconnected. These properties determine the star's life cycle and how it appears to us from Earth. Understanding these relationships helps astronomers classify stars and predict their future evolution.
PHOTOMETRY
Understand how bright this star appears from Earth and its true luminosity in space.
Apparent magnitude is how bright a star looks from Earth, while absolute magnitude is its true brightness from a standard distance of 10 parsecs. The lower the number, the brighter the star - and negative numbers mean extremely bright objects!
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