Alioth (HIP 62956)
Alioth is a white subgiant star in the constellation Ursa Major. At 83 light years away, it is the 34th brightest star in the Earth's sky, where it shines at an apparent visual magnitude of 1.76. Alioth is a multiple-star system and an intrinsic variable star that varies between magntitudes 1.74 and 1.77 over a period of 5.08 days. The iron abundance of Alioth is 0 (100.0% of the Sun). It is moving through the Galaxy at a speed of 18.5 km/s relative to the Sun and is part of the Ursa Major moving group. Its projected Galactic orbit carries it between 23,000 and 35,700 light years from the center of the Galaxy. It will come closest to the Sun 918,000 years from now when it will brighten to magnitude 1.07 from a distance of 60 light years.
Sky position: RA 12h 54.0m, Dec +55° 57.6'
