stars

exoplanets

news

Nearby stars catalogue

Alkaid

Star Alkaid

Blue-white star Alkaid is located 104 light years away from the Sun. It is a single star of spectral class B3 V, that has 610 % of solar mass. For now, there are no known exoplanets in this star system.

Loading 3D model

Nearby stars catalogue

Sun distance
104 light years

Alkaid

Blue-white star, High proper motion star

Spectral class: B3 V

Location +

Right ascension: 13h 47m 32.438s

Declination: 49° 18' 47.760'' (northern hemisphere)

Parallax: 31.380

Sun distance: 103.900 ly | 31.9 pc

Basic characteristic

Mass: 610 % M Sun

Size: 340 % R Sun

Temperature: 15540 K | 2.69 T Sun

Age: 0.1 billions years | 0.02 Sun

Luminosity: 594 L Sun

Photometry

Apparent magnitude (V): 1.9

Absolute magnitude (V): -0.7

Absolute stellar magnitude in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum from infrared (K band) to ultraviolet (U band).

K
2.1

H
1.6

J
1.2

Grp
0.8

I
0.8

G
0.6

V
0.5

Gbp
0.5

B
0.4

U
0.3

Alkaid system structure


	Alkaid

More about Alkaid

Star Alkaid is a main sequence star that fuses hydrogen atoms into helium. It is is approximately 3 times bigger than the Sun and temperature on its surface is around 15540 K (15267 °C), which is about 269 % of Sun's temperature.

       Alkaid can be found in northern celestial hemisphere, and it is possible to see it with naked eye. The star is easily observable from Northern America, Europe and Asia.

Other designations of this star
Eta Ursae Majoris, Benetnash, Benetnasch, Elkeid, η UMa, 85 UMa, BD+50°2027, FK5 509, GC 18643, HD 120315, HIC 67301, HIP 67301, HR 5191, PPM 53742, SAO 44752

External sources

Simbad database (* eta UMa)

Astronomical database SIMBAD (the Set of Identifications, Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data)

Frequently Asked Questions

How far is the Alkaid system from the Sun?

The Alkaid system is 104 light years or 31.9 parsecs from the Sun.

What galaxy is the Alkaid star in?

The Alkaid is in the Milky Way galaxy just like the Sun.

How many stars are in the Alkaid system?

The Alkaid is a single star, there are no other known stars in the system.

What type of star is the Alkaid?

The star Alkaid is a Blue-white star star.

What temperature is star Alkaid?

The star Alkaid has an effective temperature of 15540 K. Find out more about the temperature of stars in Stellar guide

Stellar Brief

6. 11. 2026

The spiral arms in the young star IM Lupi’s planet-forming disk appear to stand still, not orbit as earlier reports suggested, and a faint, larger spiral may reach farther out. New findings also link red dwarf chemistry to the makeup of rocky planets, test a faster way to read WASP-77 b’s atmosphere, forecast sharper searches for shrinking hot-Jupiter orbits, and track changing gas around the young binary DQ Tau.

Today's Stellar Brief

About Stellar Catalog

Working with real data

Data in Stellar Catalog come from trusted scientific sources. Primary source is Gaia space telescope mapping the stars in Milky Way. Other sources include research papers, Simbad catalog and Exoplanet.eu database.

Estimated values

Objects listed in the Stellar Catalog often have values that are estimates. These estimates are determined using their known characteristics, such as spectral type, brightness across different wavelengths, distance from a star, and other factors.

Fresh and validated

Stellar Catalog is continuously updated with new information from research papers. Stellar and planetary data are validated by automatic processes as well as humans.