| Dubhe (Alpha Ursae Majoris; a UMa) |
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One of the two stars of the Plough in Ursa Major (with Merak) called the Pointers. It is a giant K star of magnitude 1.8 with a fifth magnitude companion that orbits it in 44 years.
Dubhe, literally "the bear", is a shortened version of an Arabic name meaning "the back of the greater bear". See also: Table 3. |