Dubhe

A yellow-white F-type star with a B–V colour index of 1.061, Dubhe stands out for its warmer tint among the largely blue-white stars of Ursa Major. Designated Alpha Ursae Majoris, it is one of the two Pointer stars of the Plough, whose line directs observers toward Polaris. It shines at apparent magnitude 1.81 from a distance of 123 light-years, and its absolute magnitude of −1.07 indicates a luminosity above the Sun's. A far-northern declination of +61° keeps Dubhe circumpolar across most of the northern hemisphere, a permanent and much-used guidepost of the night sky.