Kochab is an orange giant in Ursa Minor, the brighter of the two Guardians of the Pole at the end of the Little Dipper’s bowl.
At a glance
| type | orange giant (class K) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 131 light-years (40.1 pc) |
| its light left it | 131 years ago |
| luminosity | 368 × the Sun |
| radius | 33 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 4,400 K |
| constellation | Ursa Minor (Little Bear) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Kochab
Kochab is an orange giant of class K, a star that has exhausted the hydrogen in its core and expanded far beyond the Sun’s width. Its surface is cooler than the Sun’s, so it glows orange, and it is far more luminous.
With Pherkad it forms the Guardians of the Pole, the two stars at the outer end of the Little Dipper that wheel around Polaris through the night. Because of the slow precession of Earth’s axis, Kochab lay nearer the north celestial pole than any other bright star in classical antiquity.
Its name is usually traced to the Arabic for star. Kochab is one of the stars used for celestial navigation.
What you see in the piece
In the piece Kochab is the orange counterpart to white Pherkad beside it. Fly out and the pair separate: Pherkad lies far further from the Sun.
Questions
What are the Guardians of the Pole?
Kochab and Pherkad, the two stars at the end of the Little Dipper’s bowl, which circle around Polaris through the night.
How far away is Kochab?
Kochab is 131 light-years (40.1 pc) from the Sun.