Mizar - ζ Ursae Majoris (zeta Ursae Majoris)

Altitude: 76.7° Azimuth: 66.6° Direction: East-North-East

Mizar, also designated as ζ Ursae Majoris (zeta Ursae Majoris), is a variable and multiple main-sequence star in the constellation of Ursa Major.

Mizar visual magnitude is 2.27, making it the 74th brightest star in the sky. Thanks to its high brightness, Mizar 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 Mizar:

Color of Mizar ⬤

Magnitude of Mizar 2.27

Class Main-sequence

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW

Mizar - ζ Ursae Majoris (zeta Ursae Majoris) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 76.7°
Azimuth: 66.6°
Direction: East-North-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Mizar

Mizar 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 Mizar are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 13h 23m 55s

Declination J2000 +54° 55’ 31”

Galactic Longitude 113.11°

Galactic Latitude 61.58°

Constellation Ursa Major

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

Finder chart Mizar - ζ Ursae Majoris (zeta Ursae Majoris) star

Simplified finder chart for Mizar - ζ Ursae Majoris (zeta Ursae Majoris).

Visibility of Mizar from your location

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

Mizar - ζ Ursae Majoris (zeta Ursae Majoris) is circumpolar and transits at 08:08 UTC (altitude: 86.6°)

Digitized Sky Survey image of Mizar

The image below is a photograph of Mizar 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 Mizar is 0.122 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.02 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Mizar - ζ Ursae Majoris (zeta Ursae Majoris) star

DSS2 image of Mizar. The red arrow shows the motion of Mizar during the next 1000 years (2.03 arcmin in Right Ascension and -0.33 arcmin in declination);

Distance of Mizar from the Sun and relative movement

Mizar is distant 78.12 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 6 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 23.96 pc

Distance (light year) 78.12 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity -6 km/s

Proper Motion RA 0.122 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec -0.02 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Mizar

Mizar belongs to spectral class A1 and has a luminosity class of V corresponding to a main-sequence star. Mizar is also a SrSi chemically peculiar star.

Absolute magnitude 0.37

Spectral Type A1V

Color Index (B-V) 0.02

Temperature of Mizar 9882K

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

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

Mizar star system properties

Mizar 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 Mizar double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 2.27

Secondary star magnitude 3.97

Magnitude difference 1.7

Separation 0 arcsec

Alternative designations of Mizar

Proper Name Mizar

Bayer designation ζ Ursae Majoris
(zeta Ursae Majoris)

Flamsteed designation 79 Ursae Majoris

Henry Draper Catalogue HD116656

SAO Catalogue SAO28737

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP65378

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD+55 1598

Gliese Catalogue NN 3783 A

FK5 Catalogue 497

General Catalogue of Variable Stars 6224

Aitken Double Star Catalogue ADS8891

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Other stars in Ursa Major