Phecda

This white star forms a part of the prominent asterism of the Plough or Big Dipper within Ursa Major, the Great Bear. It lies at the southeastern corner of the ploughshare (or the dipper's bowl), but within Ursa Major it also forms the point where the bear's rear legs meet its body (hence its name, which comes from the Arabic for 'thigh' of the bear).

Along with four of the other six stars in the Plough (and numerous other less prominent stars) Phecda forms part of the Ursa Major Moving Group, a group of several dozen stars though to have a shared origin some three hundred million years ago, following a mutual course through the Galaxy towards a point in the constellation Sagittarius.

Like most of the stars in this group, Phecda has a white spectral classification. A comparatively massive star in comparison to the Sun, it is notable for its high rotational velocity, and the enclosing envelope of gas detectable through its spectrum. Phecda lies about 83 light years from the Solar System.