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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 » 

Dubhe - α Ursae Majoris (alpha Ursae Majoris)

Altitude: 50.5°   Azimuth: 314.4°   Direction: North-West

Dubhe, also designated as α Ursae Majoris (alpha Ursae Majoris), is a variable and double hypergiant star in the constellation of Ursa Major.

Dubhe visual magnitude is 1.79, making it the 33th brightest star in the sky. Thanks to its high brightness, Dubhe is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skies, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

The proper motion of Dubhe is -0.119 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.067 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Dubhe - α Ursae Majoris (alpha Ursae Majoris) star
DSS2 image of Dubhe. The red arrow shows the motion of Dubhe during the next 1000 years (-1.98 arcmin in Right Ascension and -1.12 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about Dubhe

1.79
Hypergiant

Dubhe - α Ursae Majoris (alpha Ursae Majoris) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 50.5°
Azimuth: 314.4°
Direction: North-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Dubhe

Dubhe is situated close to the northern celestial pole and, as such, it is visible for most part of the year from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of Dubhe are provided in the following table:

11h 03m 43s
+61° 45’ 02”
142.85°
51.01°
Ursa Major

The simplified sky map below shows the position of Dubhe in the sky:

Finder chart Dubhe - α Ursae Majoris (alpha Ursae Majoris) star
Simplified finder chart for Dubhe - α Ursae Majoris (alpha Ursae Majoris).

Visibility of Dubhe from your location

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

Dubhe - α Ursae Majoris (alpha Ursae Majoris) is circumpolar and transits at 23:11 UTC (altitude: 79.7°)

Distance of Dubhe from the Sun and relative movement

Dubhe is distant 123.58 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 9 kilometers per second.

37.91 pc
123.58 ly
-9 km/s
-0.119 arcsec/year
-0.067 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Dubhe

Dubhe belongs to spectral class K0 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a hypergiant star.

-1.10
K0III
4581K

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

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

Dubhe star system properties

Dubhe 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 Dubhe double sysyem:

1.79
4.79
3
0.5 arcsec

Alternative designations of Dubhe

Dubhe
α Ursae Majoris
(alpha Ursae Majoris)
50 Ursae Majoris
SAO15384
SAO15384