Kochab - β Ursae Minoris (beta Ursae Minoris)

Kochab, also designated as β Ursae Minoris (beta Ursae Minoris), is a variable and double giant star in the constellation of Ursa Minor.

Kochab visual magnitude is 2.08, making it the 58th brightest star in the sky. Thanks to its high brightness, Kochab 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 Kochab:

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Kochab

Kochab 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 Kochab are provided in the following table:

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

Visibility of Kochab from your location

Kochab - β Ursae Minoris (beta Ursae Minoris) is circumpolar and transits at 10:18 UTC (altitude: 67.3°)

Digitized Sky Survey image of Kochab

The image below is a photograph of Kochab 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 Kochab is -0.031 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.012 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Distance of Kochab from the Sun and relative movement

Kochab is distant 126.41 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 17 kilometers per second.

Spectral properties of Kochab

Kochab belongs to spectral class K4 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

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

Kochab star system properties

Kochab 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 Kochab double sysyem:

Alternative designations of Kochab