Star · A3II
Pherkad
Pherkad is a bright giant star of spectral type A3II in the constellation Ursa Minor, 494.5 light-years from the Sun.
| Other names | γ UMi · HIP 75097 |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Distance | 494.5 light-years (151.6 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 3.00 |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −2.90 |
| Spectral type | A3II |
| Surface temperature | 9,450 K |
| Luminosity | 1,570 L☉ |
| Radius | 14.8 R☉ |
| Mass | 7.44 M☉ (estimated) |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 20m 43.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +71° 50′ 02″ |
| Space velocity (relative to the Sun) | 17.3 km/s |
In the sky
Visible to the naked eye under a dark sky (apparent magnitude 3.00). Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 18° S. North of latitude 18° 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 1532. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 8.8 million years.
The Sun seen from there
From a planet around Pherkad, the Sun would look like a star of magnitude 10.73, in the direction where our sky has the constellation Hydrus. It would be invisible to the naked eye.
Position, brightness and colour from the HYG / AT-HYG catalogue; temperature, luminosity, radius and mass are approximate values computed from these observations.