Star · K4 III
Kochab
Kochab is a giant star of spectral type K4 III in the constellation Ursa Minor, 130.9 light-years from the Sun. It is orbited by 1 confirmed exoplanet(s).
| Other names | β UMi · bet UMi · HIP 72607 |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Distance | 130.9 light-years (40.1 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 2.07 |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −0.95 |
| Spectral type | K4 III |
| Surface temperature | 4,130 K |
| Luminosity | 537 L☉ |
| Radius | 38.3 R☉ |
| Mass | 1.4 M☉ |
| Age | 3.0 billion years |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | -0.27 |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 50m 42.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +74° 09′ 20″ |
| Space velocity (relative to the Sun) | 18.2 km/s |
In the sky
Visible to the naked eye under a dark sky (apparent magnitude 2.07). Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 16° S. North of latitude 16° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in May, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 1895. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 2.3 million years.
The Sun seen from there
From a planet around Kochab, the Sun would look like a star of magnitude 7.85, in the direction where our sky has the constellation Hydrus. It would be invisible to the naked eye.
Planets
- bet UMi b 522-day orbit · 12.7 R⊕
Neighbours
Its nearest neighbours in the catalogue (within 20 light-years):
Stellar parameters from the NASA Exoplanet Archive; position and brightness from the HYG / AT-HYG catalogue.