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MEGREZ (Delta Ursae Majoris). The faintest star of the Big Dipper, Megrez is in the Dipper's middle, linking the handle to the bowl, and in the bigger picture linking Ursa Major's tail to the Bear's hindquarters.
Megrez is a hot, white A3V main sequence star about 25 times as luminous as the sun. The spectral type implies an effective temperature of 9100 K, a mass of 2.6 solar masses, and a diameter about twice that of the sun.
Observe the star Megrez(magnitude 3.4) to see how much can be seen that night. Megrez is the star that connects the handle to the dipper in the Big Dipper asterism.
* Delta Ursae Majoris (Megrez) (HD 106591)
* HD 109011
* HD 109647 (in Canes Venatici)
* HD 110463
* Epsilon Ursae Majoris (Alioth) (HD 112185)
* 78 Ursae Majoris A (HD 113139A)
* Gliese 503.2 (HD 115043)
* Zeta Ursae Majoris (Mizar) A (HD 116656) ...
[8325] delta Ursae Majoris or Megrez ("the base") is a bluish-white dwarf, approximately 81 light-years away. It marks the base of the bear's tail. It has two companion stars and also belongs to the Ursa Major moving group.
Delta Ursae Majoris is named Megrez, from the Arabic meaning ‘root of the tail'. Gamma Ursae Majoris is called Phad or Phecda, from the Arabic word meaning ‘the thigh'.
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), ...
Beta Ursae Majoris is named Merak, or "loin"; gamma is Phecda: thigh, and delta is called Megrez: root (or base) of the tail. These three are similar stars, all white (A-type) stars, and all within 100 light years distance.
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).
Starting at the end of the handle and working to the opposite edge of the bowl, the stars of the Big Dipper are:
Alkaid, Mizar, Alioth, Megrez, Phad, Merak and Dubhe.
You can remember this by saying "Arc to Arcturus and Speed to Spica."
If you follow the other two stars in the cup of the dipper (Megrez and Phecda) down below the cup, you will get to Regulus.html, the brightest star in Leo.
 See also: Ursa Major, Merak, Sky, Star, Phecda
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