Yellow giant · Ursa Minor
ε Ursae Minoris
Also known as: ε UMi, HIP 82080
mag 4.2300 light-years
About
ε Ursae Minoris is a yellow giant of magnitude 4.2 in Ursa Minor, about 300 light-years away.
How to find it
- ε Ursae Minoris is in the constellation Ursa Minor.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from north of 2° N.
- 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
- EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
- 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 | ε Ursae Minoris (ε UMi) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 82080 |
| Type | Yellow giant |
| Spectral type | G5IIIvar |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 0.90 |
| Magnitude | 4.2The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 300 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1720. |
| Proper motion | 0.020″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 45m 58.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +82° 02′ 14″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →