Alioth
Designations
- Bayer: ε UMa
- Flamsteed: 77 UMa
- Hipparchos: HIP 62956
Data
- Constellation: Ursa Major
- Apparent Magnitude: 1.76-1.78
- Variable Type: α2 Canum Venaticorum
- Right Ascension (J2000): 12h54m01.20s
- Declination (J2000): +5°57'52".9
- Colour Index (B-V): -0.02
- Distance: 82.53±0.42ly
Description
To remember this star's position near the bowl of the Big Dipper, use the mnemonic, "Alioth is near the broth!"
Nomenclature
Alioth
Ultimately from the indigenous Arabian title for the star, al-Ğawn, 'the black horse', this star name has a complicated derivation. In an Arabic translation of Almagest, the name for ε UMa was already mistranscribed as al-Ğawzā’, also an indigenous Arabian title but rather for an asterism spanning Orion and the lower part of Gemini. The Latin translators of the Arabic Almagest then transliterated the title as Alioze, which in turn was further corrupted as Aliore, Alcor, Alioth, etc., with Alioth becoming the preferred name for ε UMa since late medieval times (see also Alcor (80 UMa), Alya (θ Ser)).