Alkaid - η Ursae Majoris (eta Ursae Majoris)
Alkaid, also designated as η Ursae Majoris (eta Ursae Majoris), is a variable main-sequence star in the constellation of Ursa Major.
Alkaid visual magnitude is 1.86, making it the 37th brightest star in the sky. Thanks to its high brightness, Alkaid is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skyes, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.
The table below summarizes the key facts about Alkaid:
Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Alkaid
Alkaid is situated north of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of Alkaid are provided in the following table:
The simplified sky map below shows the position of Alkaid in the sky:

Visibility of Alkaid from your location
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Alkaid - η Ursae Majoris (eta Ursae Majoris) is circumpolar and transits at 21:03 UTC (altitude: 87.8°)
Digitized Sky Survey image of Alkaid
The image below is a photograph of Alkaid from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins). The proper motion of Alkaid is -0.122 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.011 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Distance of Alkaid from the Sun and relative movement
Alkaid is distant 100.65 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 11 kilometers per second.
Spectral properties of Alkaid
Alkaid belongs to spectral class B3 and has a luminosity class of V corresponding to a main-sequence star.
The red dot in the diagram below shows where Alkaid is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.
