Star · F7
Polaris
Polaris is a supergiant star of spectral type F7 in the constellation Ursa Minor, 432.6 light-years from the Sun.
| Other names | α UMi · HIP 11767 |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Distance | 432.6 light-years (132.6 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 1.97 |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −3.64 |
| Spectral type | F7 |
| Surface temperature | 5,830 K |
| Luminosity | 2,630 L☉ |
| Radius | 50.3 R☉ |
| Mass | 8.62 M☉ (estimated) |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 31m 49.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +89° 15′ 51″ |
| Space velocity (relative to the Sun) | 33.3 km/s |
In the sky
Visible to the naked eye under a dark sky (apparent magnitude 1.97). Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 1° S. North of latitude 1° N it never sets.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 1593. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 7.7 million years.
The Sun seen from there
From a planet around Polaris, the Sun would look like a star of magnitude 10.44, in the direction where our sky has the constellation Octans. 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.