Yellow-white main-sequence star · Ursa Minor
η Ursae Minoris
Also known as: η UMi, HIP 79822
mag 5.097 light-years
About
η Ursae Minoris is a yellow-white main-sequence star of magnitude 5.0 in Ursa Minor, about 97 light-years away.
How to find it
- η Ursae Minoris is in the constellation Ursa Minor.
- Best evenings: around mid-July it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from north of 4° S.
- Star patterns: Little Dipper.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesNeeds a dark sky away from city lights.
- Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.
Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.
Facts
| Designation | η Ursae Minoris (η UMi) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 79822 |
| Type | Yellow-white main-sequence star |
| Spectral type | F5V |
| Colour | Yellowish whiteB−V colour index 0.39 |
| Magnitude | 5.0The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 97 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1929. |
| Proper motion | 0.27″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 17m 30.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +75° 45′ 19″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →