Nu Ursae Majoris
Encyclopedia
Nu Ursae Majoris is a binary star
in the constellation
Ursa Major
. It is approximately 400 light years
from the Earth
.
The primary component, Nu Ursae Majoris A, is an orange K-type
giant
with an apparent magnitude
of 3.5m. It has a 10th magnitude companion, Nu Ursae Majoris B 7.1 arcseconds away.
It has the proper name Alula Borealis (and erroneously Alula Boreale) meaning "the Northern (star) of Alula." The words Alula and el-Awla (with ξ
) come from the Arabic phrase (al-Qafzah) al-Ūlā meaning "the first (leap)" (plus "Borealis", "northern" in Latin). It and Xi Ursae Majoris
are Hea Tae （下台）, the Lower Dignitary, in Chinese astronomy
.
Binary star
A binary star is a star system consisting of two stars orbiting around their common center of mass. The brighter star is called the primary and the other is its companion star, comes, or secondary...
in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Ursa Major
Ursa Major
Ursa Major , also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. It can best be seen in April...
. It is approximately 400 light years
Light Years
Light Years is the seventh studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 25 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records. The album's style was indicative of her return to "mainstream pop dance tunes"....
from the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
The primary component, Nu Ursae Majoris A, is an orange K-type
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
giant
Giant star
A giant star is a star with substantially larger radius and luminosity than a main sequence star of the same surface temperature. Typically, giant stars have radii between 10 and 100 solar radii and luminosities between 10 and 1,000 times that of the Sun. Stars still more luminous than giants are...
with an apparent magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
of 3.5m. It has a 10th magnitude companion, Nu Ursae Majoris B 7.1 arcseconds away.
It has the proper name Alula Borealis (and erroneously Alula Boreale) meaning "the Northern (star) of Alula." The words Alula and el-Awla (with ξ
Xi Ursae Majoris
Xi Ursae Majoris is a star system in the constellation Ursa Major. On May 2, 1780, Sir William Herschel discovered that this was a binary star system, making it the first such system ever discovered...
) come from the Arabic phrase (al-Qafzah) al-Ūlā meaning "the first (leap)" (plus "Borealis", "northern" in Latin). It and Xi Ursae Majoris
Xi Ursae Majoris
Xi Ursae Majoris is a star system in the constellation Ursa Major. On May 2, 1780, Sir William Herschel discovered that this was a binary star system, making it the first such system ever discovered...
are Hea Tae （下台）, the Lower Dignitary, in Chinese astronomy
Chinese astronomy
Astronomy in China has a very long history, with historians considering that "they [the Chinese] were the most persistent and accurate observers of celestial phenomena anywhere in the world before the Arabs."...
.