Alioth is a fascinating and unique star, residing within the CVn constellation, located roughly 220 light-hours away from Earth in the southern sky. Its designation is 77Eps UMa, a provisional name suggesting its place within the Ursa Major constellation.

This star’s visible prominence derives primarily from its position within the ‘spiral’ configuration of the CVn constellation, placing it relatively close to the Galactic plane. Despite being a somewhat modest star compared to some of the giants in the Milky Way, Alioth’s bright location throughout a considerable portion of the night provides a stunning effect to observers. The characteristics of this star, based purely on catalog data, suggest a very slow rotational rate.

Alioth’s recognition is particularly noteworthy due to its location so far from its stellar neighbors within the Milky Way system. These stars are located at vastly differing distances and positions, impacting the sheer visibility for Alioth given this unique stellar setting. It’s a relatively unremarkable object for the star chart but nonetheless appears to resonate with a sense of timelessness, hinting at some significant event occurring long ago in a distant galaxy. Its placement—a small, almost obscure point in a vast expanse—represents a peculiar juxtaposition of smallness and distant history.

How to see it

Alioth has a visual magnitude of about 1.76: under a reasonably dark sky it is typically reachable with the unaided eye.

Sky position

Equatorial coordinates for Alioth: right ascension 12h 54m 2s, declination +55° 57′ 35″ (J2000), in the region of the Canes Venatici constellation (IAU figure CVn).

Canes Venatici — Explore by constellation

Catalog context

Alioth. It appears in classical and modern catalogs as Bayer/Flamsteed designation 77Eps UMa, HIP 62956, HD 112185, Gaia DR3 HYG-HIP-62956. In the SkyKeepsake Canes Venatici (CVn) browse hub it sits with other stars of the same IAU figure.

Catalog identifiers

Gaia

Gaia DR3 HYG-HIP-62956

HIP

62956

HD

112185

gaia_dr3

HYG-HIP-62956

Bayer / Flamsteed

77Eps UMa

Also known as

• 77Eps UMa
• Gaia DR3 TOP 5M HYG-HIP-62956
• HD 112185
• HIP 62956
• HYG-HIP-62956

Observed properties

Visual magnitude

1.76