Baekdu
8 Ursae Minoris
Scientific overview
Baekdu is a main-sequence star in the constellation Ursa Minor (Ursae Minoris), lying about 521.9 light-years from Earth.
Class K. Cooler orange stars. Long-lived and abundant; many are stable hosts for planets. Such stars have surface temperatures around 3,700–5,200 K and appear orange to the eye.
Physical properties
| Spectral type | K0 |
| Apparent magnitude | 6.83 |
| Absolute magnitude | 0.81 |
| Luminosity (Sun = 1) | 41.343 |
| Colour index (B−V) | 0.985 |
| Distance | 521.9 ly (160 pc) |
Values are real catalogue data; fields without a reliable value are omitted, never estimated.
Precision measurements
Astrometry and astrophysics from SIMBAD and Gaia DR3 · Gaia DR3 1700658653802527104
| Parallax | 6.1278 ± 0.0142 mas | SIMBAD · measured |
| Distance | 162.7 pc | Gaia · estimated |
| Proper motion (RA) | 13.139 mas/yr | SIMBAD · measured |
| Proper motion (Dec) | 3.578 mas/yr | SIMBAD · measured |
| Radial velocity | -9.2 ± 0.14 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Spectral type | K0 | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Effective temperature | 4860.2 K | Gaia · modeled |
| Radius | 10.5677 R_sun | Gaia · modeled |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 2.5304 log(cm/s^2) | Gaia · modeled |
| Metallicity [M/H] | -0.2799 dex | Gaia · modeled |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 224.2 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | 74.9009 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Parallax: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · plx_value · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Distance: ESA Gaia astrometric survey · Gaia EDR3 · Bailer-Jones (2021) · external.gaiaedr3_distance · r_med_geo · row 1700658653802527104 · Bayesian estimate · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Proper motion (RA): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · pmra · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Proper motion (Dec): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · pmdec · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2018yCat.1345....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Spectral type: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · sp_type · 1993yCat.3135....0C · catalogue identifier/value · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Effective temperature: ESA Gaia astrometric survey · Gaia DR3 · gaiadr3.astrophysical_parameters · teff_gspphot · row 1700658653802527104 · model output · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radius: ESA Gaia astrometric survey · Gaia DR3 · gaiadr3.astrophysical_parameters · radius_gspphot · row 1700658653802527104 · model output · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Surface gravity (log g): ESA Gaia astrometric survey · Gaia DR3 · gaiadr3.astrophysical_parameters · logg_gspphot · row 1700658653802527104 · model output · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Metallicity [M/H]: ESA Gaia astrometric survey · Gaia DR3 · gaiadr3.astrophysical_parameters · mh_gspphot · row 1700658653802527104 · model output · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
measured = direct catalogue value · estimated = Bayesian inference (Bailer-Jones distance) · modeled = model output (Gaia GSP-Phot). Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Evolution
A main-sequence star fuses hydrogen into helium in its core. It will remain on the main sequence for most of its life before evolving into a giant.
Location in the sky
Knowledge connections
- In constellationUrsa Minor
- Orbited by8 UMi b
Related stars in Ursa Minor
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- HYG DatabaseHYG Database (Hipparcos + Yale Bright Star + Gliese), by D. Nash / astronexus
Aggregated, openly-licensed star catalogue combining Hipparcos, the Yale Bright Star Catalogue, and the Gliese Catalogue of Nearby Stars.
- HipparcosESA Hipparcos space astrometry mission
High-precision parallax, magnitude, and position for ~118,000 stars.