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Mark Fisher
1999-2010
Kochab
Kocab, Beta Ursae Minoris, 7 Ursae Minoris
Proper Names
  Kochab
  Kocab
Bayer Designation
  Beta Ursae Minoris
Flamsteed Number
  7 Ursae Minoris
BSC
  5563
HD
  131873
Constellation
  Ursa Minor
Right Ascension
  14h 50m 42s
Declination
  +74° 9' 20"
Distance
  126 light years
  39 parsecs
Magnitude
  Apparent: +2.2
  Absolute: -0.8 to -0.7
Spectral Class
  K4
  Orange Giant
Optimum Visibility
  April/May
  Usually visible from
  northern latitudes
A view of Kochab
A view of the giant orange star Kochab, from the point of view of two hypothetical bodies in close orbit. Three thousand years ago, this star marked Earth's Northern Celestial Pole, but shifts in the planet's position have seen the Pole move away from Kochab and towards Polaris.

The second brightest star in Ursa Minor is an orange giant lying just over one hundred light years from Earth's Solar System.

Location of Kochab
Like all the stars of Ursa Minor, orange Kochab lies close to the Northern Celestial Pole. 		Relative Galactic Position of Kochab
The Galactic position and direction of Kochab relative to Earth's Sun. Note that, at this extreme scale, the two stars are effectively in the same place. 		Illustration of Kochab
The giant orange star Kochab is one of the two Guardians of the Pole. The other, far more distant Guardian star Pherkad is just visible in the background of this image.
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    		•  Related Entries
  • Guardians of the Pole
  • Magnitude
  • Northern Celestial Pole
  • Ursa Minor
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