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A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
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All Constellations » Ursa Major » 

Alula Borealis - ν Ursae Majoris (nu Ursae Majoris)

Altitude: 57.2°   Azimuth: 250.7°   Direction: West-South-West

Alula Borealis, also designated as ν Ursae Majoris (nu Ursae Majoris), is a double giant star in the constellation of Ursa Major.

Alula Borealis visual magnitude is 3.48. Because of its moderate brightness, Alula Borealis should be easily visible from locations with dark skies, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skies affected by light pollution.

The proper motion of Alula Borealis is -0.026 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.028 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Alula Borealis - ν Ursae Majoris (nu Ursae Majoris) star
DSS2 image of Alula Borealis. The red arrow shows the motion of Alula Borealis during the next 10000 years (-4.33 arcmin in Right Ascension and 4.67 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about Alula Borealis

3.48
Giant

Alula Borealis - ν Ursae Majoris (nu Ursae Majoris) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 57.2°
Azimuth: 250.7°
Direction: West-South-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Alula Borealis

Alula Borealis 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 Alula Borealis are provided in the following table:

11h 18m 28s
+33° 05’ 39”
190.73°
69.08°
Ursa Major

The simplified sky map below shows the position of Alula Borealis in the sky:

Finder chart Alula Borealis - ν Ursae Majoris (nu Ursae Majoris) star
Simplified finder chart for Alula Borealis - ν Ursae Majoris (nu Ursae Majoris).

Visibility of Alula Borealis from your location

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Today's Alula Borealis - ν Ursae Majoris (nu Ursae Majoris) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 56.9°
Max altitude: 71.6°
Azimuth: 303.1°

Distance of Alula Borealis from the Sun and relative movement

Alula Borealis is distant 421.19 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 9 kilometers per second.

129.20 pc
421.19 ly
-9 km/s
-0.026 arcsec/year
0.028 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Alula Borealis

Alula Borealis belongs to spectral class K3 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

-2.08
K3III
3950K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where Alula Borealis is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of Alula Borealis. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Alula Borealis star system properties

Alula Borealis is a visual double star which can be observed only with the help of very large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the Alula Borealis double sysyem:

3.48
9.48
6
7.2 arcsec

Alternative designations of Alula Borealis

Alula Borealis
ν Ursae Majoris
(nu Ursae Majoris)
54 Ursae Majoris
SAO62486
SAO62486