Alioth

HR 4905 · HIP 62956 · ε UMa

👁️ Naked-eye

📋 A written introduction is coming — for now this page shows official values only.

Star

Apparent magnitude: 1.77 mag
Parallax: 39.51 mas → about 82.6 light-years away
Spectral type: A0p
Right ascension: 193.5073°
Declination: 55.9598°
Designation: HR 4905
Bayer designation: ε UMa
HIP number: 62956
IAU name adopted: 2016-06-30
Name language: Arabic
Name origin (IAU): Ultimately from its pre-Islamic Arabian name al-jaun, "the Black Horse, or Bull," which became corrupted even in Arabic sources (where some of the corruptions carried other meanings). For example, in the Arabic manuscript of the Almagest that was translated into Latin in 1175 A.D., this name of ε UMa had apparently been miswritten as al-jauza or al-jauza (the latter being identical to the name for the Arabic Almagest period for Orion and Gemini). Whatever was read in this Arabic manuscript was transliterated into Latin as alioze. In subsequent Latin copies, this name was further corrupted to aliore, Alcor, Alioth, etc. Since late medieval times, "Alioth" became the preferred name for ε UMa.

Constellation

Light from this object takes about 83 years to reach Earth — the light you see tonight left around AD 1943 (official distance ÷ speed of light).
At magnitude 1.8 it is bright enough for the naked eye (limit about 6) — look from somewhere dark.
Declination 56° — from Seoul (37.6° N) it never sets and circles the northern sky all night.

Worked out from this object's official values.

HR 4905 · HIP 62956 · ε UMa

👁️ Naked-eye

📋 A written introduction is coming — for now this page shows official values only.

Apparent magnitude: 1.77 mag
Parallax: 39.51 mas → about 82.6 light-years away
Spectral type: A0p
Right ascension: 193.5073°
Declination: 55.9598°
Designation: HR 4905
Bayer designation: ε UMa
HIP number: 62956
IAU name adopted: 2016-06-30
Name language: Arabic
Name origin (IAU): Ultimately from its pre-Islamic Arabian name al-jaun, "the Black Horse, or Bull," which became corrupted even in Arabic sources (where some of the corruptions carried other meanings). For example, in the Arabic manuscript of the Almagest that was translated into Latin in 1175 A.D., this name of ε UMa had apparently been miswritten as al-jauza or al-jauza (the latter being identical to the name for the Arabic Almagest period for Orion and Gemini). Whatever was read in this Arabic manuscript was transliterated into Latin as alioze. In subsequent Latin copies, this name was further corrupted to aliore, Alcor, Alioth, etc. Since late medieval times, "Alioth" became the preferred name for ε UMa.

Constellation

Light from this object takes about 83 years to reach Earth — the light you see tonight left around AD 1943 (official distance ÷ speed of light).
At magnitude 1.8 it is bright enough for the naked eye (limit about 6) — look from somewhere dark.
Declination 56° — from Seoul (37.6° N) it never sets and circles the northern sky all night.

Worked out from this object's official values.