Alpha Ursae Majoris

Alpha Ursae Majoris (Alpha UMa, α Ursae Majoris, α UMa) is the second-brightest star in the constellation of Ursa Major (despite its Bayer designation of "alpha"). It has the traditional name Dubhe, and a rarer name Ak.

Description

Alpha Ursae Majoris forms part of the Big Dipper (also known as the Plough or the Great Bear), and is the northern of the 'pointers' (or 'guards'), the two stars of Ursa Major which point towards Polaris, the North Star. Dubhe is about 123 light years away and is a giant star that has evolved away from the main sequence after consuming the hydrogen at its core. It is a spectroscopic binary with a main sequence companion α UMa B that has a stellar classification of F0V. The companion star orbits at a mean separation of about 23 astronomical units (AU) and completes an orbit every 44.4 years. The yellow giant primary star shows rapid tiny pulsations at many frequencies, its brightness changing by less than a hundredth of a magnitude.

There is another spectroscopic binary 8 arc minutes distant, a 7th magnitude pair showing an F8 spectral type. It is sometimes referred to as Alpha Ursae majoris C, but is separately catalogued as HD 95638.