- Stars with a name
- Kochab
Kochab
β Ursae Minoris
Kochab is an orange giant, in the constellation Ursa Minor. The light you see from it tonight left it around 1895.
Where to find it
From mid-northern latitudes, such as New York, Rome or Tokyo, it never sets: it circles the pole all night, all year.
Bright enough to see even from a city. Apparent magnitude 2.07.
What it’s like
It gives off 209 times as much light as the Sun.
Its surface is at about 3,800 degrees.
It is 130.9 light years away: 1239 trillion kilometres.