Rho Ursae Majoris
Scientific overview
Rho Ursae Majoris is a red giant in the constellation Ursa Major (Ursae Majoris), lying about 314.52 light-years from Earth.
Class M. Cool red stars. The most common type in the galaxy, ranging from red dwarfs to red giants. Such stars have surface temperatures around 2,400–3,700 K and appear red to the eye.
Physical properties
| Spectral type | M3III |
| Luminosity class | III |
| Apparent magnitude | 4.74 |
| Absolute magnitude | -0.18 |
| Luminosity (Sun = 1) | 103 |
| Colour index (B−V) | 1.542 |
| Distance | 314.52 ly (96.43 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 1117104986348319232 · elevated RUWE
| Parallax | 10.1658 ± 0.1581 mas | SIMBAD · measured |
| Distance | 98.5242 pc | Gaia · estimated |
| Proper motion (RA) | -21.736 mas/yr | SIMBAD · measured |
| Proper motion (Dec) | 17.726 mas/yr | SIMBAD · measured |
| Radial velocity | 4.75 ± 0.19 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Spectral type | M3IIICa1 | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 135.6 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | 67.6296 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 1117104986348319232 · 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 · 2005A&A...430..165F · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Spectral type: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · sp_type · 1989ApJS...71..245K · catalogue identifier/value · 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 red giant is an evolved star that has exhausted core hydrogen and expanded enormously, cooling at its surface as it fuses heavier elements in shells.
Location in the sky
Knowledge connections
- In constellationUrsa Major
Related stars in Ursa Major
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.