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Proper NameNone
Bayer DesignationTheta Ursae Minoris
Flamsteed Number15 Ursae Minoris
HR (BSC)5826
HD139669
ConstellationUrsa Minor
Right Ascension15h 31m 25s
Declination+77° 20' 58"
Distance799 light years
245 parsecs
MagnitudeApparent: +4.98
Absolute: -1.97
Spectral ClassK5-IIICN0.5 orange giant
Optimum VisibilityMay / June (Usually visible from northern latitudes)

Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

The point where the handle and bowl of the Little Dipper meet is marked by the fourth-magnitude star Alifa al Farkadain. Less than a degree away in the sky is a slightly fainter star, designated Theta, or 15, Ursae Minoris. This is an orange giant star close to the Northern Celestial Pole. Intrinsically luminous, with an absolute magnitude of -2.0, its distance from Earth (nearly eight hundred light years) makes it barely visible to the naked eye.

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