Phecda is a white star at the lower corner of the bowl of the Plough, its name from the Arabic for the thigh of the bear.
At a glance
| type | white star (class A) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 83.2 light-years (25.5 pc) |
| its light left it | 83.2 years ago |
| luminosity | 78 × the Sun |
| radius | 3.13 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 9,700 K |
| constellation | Ursa Major (Great Bear) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Phecda
The facts describe a hot white star, larger and more luminous than the Sun, spinning rapidly.
It marks the corner of the bowl diagonally opposite Dubhe. Phecda is a member of the Ursa Major moving group, the family of stars, most of the Plough among them, that formed together and still share a common motion through space.
What you see in the piece
In the piece Phecda sits close to Merak and Megrez in space as well as on the sky, because they travel together; Dubhe and Alkaid drift off on their own.
Questions
How far away is Phecda?
Phecda is 83.2 light-years (25.5 pc) from the Sun; its light left it 83.2 years ago.