Phecda / Gamma Ursae Majoris Star Facts (Type, Distance, Magnitude, Age, Mass, Colour, Location and more)

Phecda, also known as Gamma Ursae Majoris (Bayer) is a main sequence star located in the constellation of Ursa Major, The Big Bear. Phecda is a major star and forms part of the constellation.

Based on the spectral type (A0V SB), Phecda colour is blue - white, although not the hottest stars, they are considerably hotter than our own star which is white.

Phecda temperature is in the range of between 7,500 and 10,000 Kelvin. Based on the spectral type (A0V SB) as we don't have the exact temperature', we can deduce that the surface temperature of Phecda is in the order of 7,500 and 10,000K based on the notes from Harvard University. To put this in context, the temperature of our Sun is about 5,778 Kelvin as said by Google.

Phecda is the 86th brightest star in the night sky and the 6th brightest star in Ursa Major based on the Hipparcos 2007 apparent magnitude. Based on a parallax of 39.21, Phecda distance from Earth can be calculated at being 83.18 light years away or 25.65 parsecs.

Phecda is a naked-eye star, so you don't need a telescope or binoculars when you look up on a clear night. The lower the magnitude, the easier it will be to see it.

Location

The location of the Phecda in the night sky is determined by the right ascension (R.A.) and declination (Dec.). These are equivalent to the Longitude and Latitude on Earth. The Right Ascension (Longitude) is expressed in time (hh:mm:ss) and is how far the star is along Earth's celestial equator. If the R.A. is positive, then it's eastwards and vice versa.

The Declination (Latitude) is how far north or south the object is compared to the celestial equator and is expressed in degrees. If the value is positive, it is north of the celestial equator. For Phecda, the location is 11h 53m 49.74 and +53° 41` 41.0 .

Based on the location of Ursa Major, Phecda can be located in the northern hemisphere of the celestial sky. The celestial hemisphere is equivalent to the hemispheres on Earth. Phecda is north of the Ecliptic. The Ecliptic is the path that the Earth takes as it orbits the Sun. As the Earth is titled, we therefore have Celestial and Ecliptic hemispheres and they can be different for a star.

Physical Properties

Spectral Type

Phecda spectral type of A0V SB which means its colour and type is blue - white main sequence star. There is no relationship between colour and size. For example, a red star can be large or small. Small stars are more energy efficient than larger stars and live longer.

Phecda Luminosity

Luminosity is the amount of energy a star pumps out relative to the amount that our star, the Sun, gives out. Our star, the Sun's value is 1. Phecda luminosity figure of 64.25 is based on the value in the Simbad Hipparcos Extended Catalogue at the University of Strasbourg from 2012. The star generates more energy than our star.

Phecda Mass

The Phecda mass is 1.234 times that of our star, the Sun. The Sun's Mass is 1,989,100,000,000,000,000,000 billion kg. which to calculate using this website is too large. To give idea of size, the Sun is 99.86% the mass of the solar system.

Phecda Death

We can't be sure when Phecda will die, we can have estimations based on its spectral type and mass. Based on current estimations with Phecda having less than 10 solar masses, Phecda will most likely first start losing its mass in solar winds in a Planetary Nebula phase before the nebula disperses leaving behind a White Dwarf.

Phecda Metallicity

Phecda metallicity is -0.250000, this value is the fractional amount of the star that is not Hydrogen (X) or Helium (Y). An older star would have a high metallicity whereas a new star would have a lower one.

Phecda Age

Phecda is believed to be about 4.604 billion years old. To put in context, the Sun is believed to be about five billion years old and the Universe is about 13.8 billion years old. The smaller star is, the more efficient it is with its fuel and so will live longer than a star which is very large. Phecda lifespan could be a mere 10 million years based on it being a typical blue (A Type) star. These are short lived stars.

Magnitude (Apparent / Absolute / Visible)

A number represents a star’s magnitude, whether apparent/visual or absolute. The smaller the number, the brighter the star is. The Sun is the brightest star and therefore has the lowest of all magnitudes, -26.74. A faint star will have a high number.

Phecda apparent magnitude is 2.41, which is a measure of the star's brightness as seen from Earth. Apparent Magnitude is also known as Visual Magnitude.

If you use the 1997 parallax value, Phecda' absolute magnitude is 0.36. If you use the 2007 parallax value, Phecda' absolute magnitude is 0.38. Absolute Magnitude is the star's apparent magnitude from 10 parsecs or 32.6 light years. The magnitude assumes nothing is between the object and the viewer, such as dust clouds. To compare different stars' actual brightness, you would best use Absolute rather than Apparent Magnitude.

Phecda is visible from Earth without needing binoculars or a telescope. The lower the Apparent Magnitude of a star or other object is, the easier it is to see in the night sky. An object with a magnitude greater than 6.5 cannot be seen without a telescope or other device.

Nearby Objects of Interest

• SDSS J114701.67+540648.2 (Quasar)