SkyKeepsake page about the star Mizar

Mizar is a small, relatively bright star in the constellation CVn, which is located in the Minor Ursa. It’s a star with a relatively low visual magnitude, around 2.283, placing it firmly within the “ordinary” stars that are easy to see with the unaided eye. Its coordinates are RA 200.9824°, Dec 54.9253° , and it currently resides approximately 81 light years distant. It’s known to have a relatively fast parallax, measuring 40.21 mas, indicating it is orbiting the Sun more rapidly than the other stars of the same size. Its HD 116656 ID indicates it’s a relatively close companion, a minor member of the Ursa Minor cluster. The star, Mizar, has been observed with precision using data from the Gaia satellite's mission and has had a long, documented period of observation across celestial space.

Mizar is recognizable because of its unique position within the constellation. Stars in the Minor Ursa, especially the two brightest stars in the constellation, are easily identified, but Mizar appears distinct and easily observed from low-resolution imagery. Its brightness is offset, and it isn't positioned along the main axis of the constellation, making identification straightforward and relatively common. Because of its observed property, it has inspired a degree of symbolic significance across cultures where it is seen, representing stability or a focal point – the “light” of something enduring— within its surroundings.

The star’s magnitude is relatively modest, signifying it's an intermediate-bright star within the constellation. There is no evidence to suggest a stellar formation related to its existence, nor is it typically associated with planetary orbits, nebulae, or white dwarfs. Stellar classification, based on observed behavior, does not provide specific information. The star has a relatively short period of existence compared to more massive stars, exhibiting a slow, consistent pace of radial drift across the sky, though the star experiences a small rate of adjustment.

How to see it

Mizar has a visual magnitude of about 2.28: under a reasonably dark sky it is typically reachable with the unaided eye.

Sky position

Equatorial coordinates for Mizar: right ascension 13h 23m 56s, declination +54° 55′ 31″ (J2000), on the celestial sphere.

Catalog context

Mizar. It appears in classical and modern catalogs as Bayer/Flamsteed designation 79Zet UMa, HIP 65378, HD 116656, Gaia DR3 1563590579347125632.

Catalog identifiers

Gaia

Gaia DR3 1563590579347125632

HIP

65378

HD

116656

gaia_dr3

1563590579347125632

Bayer / Flamsteed

79Zet UMa

Observed properties

Visual magnitude

2.28