Alkaid (Eta Ursae Majoris)
Alkaid is the most eastern star in the Big Dipper (Plough).
© Jerry Lodriguss
The second brightest star in the constellation Ursa Major and the end star in the handle of the Big Dipper (Plough).
Alkaid is a blue B3V main sequence star. This spectral type indicates an effective temperature of 9100 K, a diameter twice that of the sun, and a luminosity 4300 times that of the sun, and a mass perhaps 13 times that of the sun.
Alkaid, the end star of the Big Dipper handle is also the tail star of Ursa Major, the Big Bear. By drawing a line from the tail star of the Big Bear to the tail star of Leo, the Lion, you can find Canes Venatici's place in the sky everytime.
Examples are Cygni (Deneb), Orionis (Rigel), and Ursae Majoris (Alkaid). See navigational stars, table.
Eta Ursae Majoris, Benetnasch, Alkaid, Elkeid
1.86
101
* al-qÄid al-banÄt an-nac "The leader of the daughters of the bier" (the daughters of the bier, i.e.
ranks sixth in brightness in the Dipper, indeed in the whole parent constellation, Ursa Major (the Greater Bear), Phecda still received the Gamma designation from Bayer, who simply lettered the Dipper stars from front to back, the brightest (Alkaid) ...
Alkaid Eta Ursae Majoris
Al Kurud Theta Columbae
Al Kalb al Rai Rho-2 Cephei
Alkalurops Mu Bootis
Al Kaphrah Chi Ursae Majoris
Alkes Alpha Crateris
Alkurah Xi Cephei
Almach Gamma Andromedae
Al Minliar al Asad Kappa Leonis
Al Nair Alpha Gruis ...
Imagine the lines of right ascension - zero for Chaph, 11 for Merak and Dubhe (the "pointer stars"), 12 for Phad, and 14 for Alkaid.
Practise using your hands to measure angles in the sky.
[8317] eta Ursae Majoris, also known as Alkaid ("the leader") and Benetnash ("the daughters of the bier"), is the third brightest star in the constellation and the 35th brightest star in the sky. It is a hot bluish-white main sequence dwarf.
ICRS 2000.0) of Constellation Boötes, the Herdsman or Bear Driver -- north of Nekkar (Beta Boötis), east of Lamda Boötis, northeast of Seginus (Gamma Boötis), southwest of Edasich (Iota Draconis), southeast of Theta Boötis and Alkaid (Eta Ursae ...
Alcor (Saidak, 80 UMa), Alioth (ε UMa), Alkaid (Benetnash, η UMa), Alula Australis (ξ UMa), Alula Borealis (ν UMa), Dubhe (α UMa), Megrez (Kaffa, δ UMa), Merak (β UMa), Mizar (ζ UMa), Muscida (ο UMa), ...
Lying in Ursa Major just over five degrees north-west of Alkaid (eta UMa), the end star of the Plough, M101 is circumpolar from the UK. In late August, M101 is about 50 degrees up around 9.
Finally we have eta Ursae Majoris, called either Benetnasch or Alkaid, both of which mean "chief of the mourners". This is a blue-white star, a bit further than the rest at about 95 light years.
Other stars in Ursa Major.
Alkaid, the star at the Dipper's eastern tip, moved south most rapidly. This change should have been detectable to observers armed with records going back several generations. A document from ancient Egypt suggests that it was.
In a telescope, Mizar turns out to be double itself so we have a three star system. All the main stars listed below except Duhbe and Alkaid are part of a moving cluster though you'll have to wait many thousands of years to notice any shift in ...
At the tip of the bear's tail lies Eta Ursae Majoris, known both as Alkaid, from the Arabic al-qa'id meaning ‘the leader', or as Benetnasch, from the Arabic banat na'sh meaning ‘ ...
M51, The Whirlpool galaxy is a galaxy found in the constellation of Canes Venatici, very near the star Alkaid in the handle of the saucepan asterism of the big dipper. Easily found with binoculars or a small telescope. The discovery [...] ...
Named stars: Alpha UMa (Dubhe), Beta UMa (Merak), Gamma UMa (Pháchd/Phekda), Delta UMa (Megrez), Epsilon UMa (Alioth), Zeta UMa (twin star Alkor+Mizar), Eta (Benetnasch/Alkaid).
 See also: Constellation, Star, Sky, Sun, Second
|
