Alioth vs Dubhe

Property Alioth Dubhe
Bezeichnung 77Eps UMa 50Alp UMa
Sternbild Ursa Major Ursa Major
Spektralklasse Class A — A-type (White) Class F — F-type (Yellow-White)
Scheinbare Helligkeit +1.76 +1.81
Absolute Helligkeit -0.26 -1.07
Entfernung 82.5 ly 123 ly
Masse N/A N/A
Radius N/A N/A
Temperatur N/A N/A
Leuchtkraft N/A N/A

Key Differences

  • Both are the two brightest stars of the Big Dipper in Ursa Major, but they differ in type and motion.
  • Alioth (Epsilon UMa) is an A-type chemically peculiar variable; Dubhe (Alpha UMa) is a K-type giant.
  • Alioth is a member of the Ursa Major Moving Group; Dubhe is not and moves in the opposite direction.
  • Dubhe forms the 'pointer pair' with Merak that indicates Polaris.
  • Alioth is slightly brighter than Dubhe despite the Alpha/Epsilon designations.

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