Lambda Ursae Majoris
Encyclopedia
Lambda Ursae Majoris is a star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...

 in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....

 Ursa Major
Ursa Major
Ursa Major , also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. It can best be seen in April...

. It also has the proper names Tania Borealis (former Tania borealis) meaning "the Northern (star) of Tania." The word Tania comes from the Arabic phrase (al-Qafzah) al-Thāniyah meaning "the Second (Leap)" (the distinctions "northern" (borealis) is added in Latin), and Alkafzah Borealis. With Mu Ursae Majoris
Mu Ursae Majoris
Mu Ursae Majoris is a star in the constellation Ursa Major. It also has the proper names Tania Australis meaning "the Southern of Tania." The word Tania comes from the Arabic phrase al-Thāniyah meaning "the Second " , Alkafzah...

, they were Chung Tae (中台), the Middle Dignitary, in Chinese astronomy
Chinese astronomy
Astronomy in China has a very long history, with historians considering that "they [the Chinese] were the most persistent and accurate observers of celestial phenomena anywhere in the world before the Arabs."...

.

Lambda Ursae Majoris is a white A-type
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...

 subgiant with an apparent magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...

 of 3.5m. It is approximately 135 light years
Light Years
Light Years is the seventh studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 25 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records. The album's style was indicative of her return to "mainstream pop dance tunes"....

 from the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...

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