Arabic star names / Merak
Merak
المراق
Merak comes from the Arabic المراق (al-Marāqq), which means “the loins”. It is the 81st-brightest star in the sky, in Ursa Major.
- Brightness
- 2.34
- Colour
- white
- Constellation
- Ursa Major
- Best seen
- April evenings
- Right ascension
- 11h 02m
- Declination
- +56° 23′
The name
The bear's loins. Draw a line from Merak through Dubhe and keep going to reach the Pole Star.
Where you can see it
It rises everywhere north of 34°S. From Riyadh it climbs to 58° above the horizon. From London it climbs to 85° above the horizon. Never rises over Sydney.
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