- Stars with a name
- Pherkad
Pherkad
γ Ursae Minoris
Pherkad is a white giant, in the constellation Ursa Minor. The light you see from it tonight left it around 1539.
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.
Visible to the naked eye away from the brightest lights. Apparent magnitude 3.00.
What it’s like
It gives off 1,225 times as much light as the Sun.
Its surface is at about 9,500 degrees.
It is 486.8 light years away: 4605 trillion kilometres.