giant · A1III
Alioth
Alioth is a blue-white giant (spectral type A1III) about 83 light-years away. With an apparent magnitude of 1.76 it is a very bright, conspicuous star.
The brightest star in the Big Dipper.
Its light output is roughly 110 times that of the Sun (a rough estimate in visible light, calculated from brightness and distance).
From Germany (52° N) it never sets: it stays above the horizon all year.
Key facts
- Distance
- ≈ 83 light-years
- Spectral type
- A1III (giant)
- Colour
- Blue-white
- Apparent magnitude
- 1.76 mag
- Luminosity
- ≈ 110 × Sun
- Position
- Right ascension 12h 54m, declination 56°
More well-known stars
Data: Hipparcos / HYG catalogue (CC BY-SA 4.0). Luminosity and visibility are calculated estimates.