White main-sequence star · Ursa Minor
ζ Ursae Minoris
Also known as: ζ UMi, HIP 77055
mag 4.3370 light-years
About
ζ Ursae Minoris is a white main-sequence star of magnitude 4.3 in Ursa Minor, about 370 light-years away.
How to find it
- ζ Ursae Minoris is in the constellation Ursa Minor.
- Best evenings: around early 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 2° 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
- 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 | ζ Ursae Minoris (ζ UMi) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 77055 |
| Type | White main-sequence star |
| Spectral type | A3Vn |
| Colour | WhiteB−V colour index 0.04 |
| Magnitude | 4.3The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 370 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1660. |
| Proper motion | 0.020″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 44m 03.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +77° 47′ 40″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →