About the Star:
MERAK (Beta Ursae Majoris).
High in the sky in northern spring evenings, just climbing above the northern horizon in southern hemisphere autumn, the Big Dipper -- the "plough" in England -- is among the most recognized and recognizable of figures, one of the first learned in a quest to know the constellations.
Leading the westward moving parade are Dubhe <dubhe.html> at the lip of the Dipper's bowl and Merak, also at the bowl's front and just to the south of Dubhe, the two making the Big Dipper's "Pointers" that lead the way to the North Star. While often considered a constellation, the Dipper is a small part -- an asterism -- of the ancient figure of Ursa Major <uma-p.html>, the Greater Bear, much of which is circumpolar, never setting for far northerners.
The names of all but two of the Dipper's stars (Alioth <alioth.html> and Alkaid <alkaid.html> wink refer to the Bear, "Merak" coming from an Arabic description that means "the flank of the Greater Bear." The two front bowl stars make a nice contrast, Dubhe a cool orange giant, Merak a seemingly standard hot (9000 Kelvin) white class A "main sequence" star, one that is quietly fusing hydrogen to helium its core, as does the Sun.
With an apparent magnitude of 2.4 (faint second), Merak ranks fifth in brightness in the Dipper, right after Mizar <mizar.html> in the figure's handle. In spite of its ranking, however, it received the Beta designation from Bayer, who lettered the Dipper's stars from front to back. From its distance of 79 light years, Merak's luminosity is seen to be almost 60 times solar, its mass about triple that of the Sun <sun.html>.
While these class A stars are not all that common, they are bright enough to be seen at large distances and thus seem disproportionately numerous in nighttime sky. Merak has two special features that set it off from the others. Like Fomalhaut <fomalhaut.html> and some others, it is a Vega <vega.html> kind of star, one that radiates extra infrared light that seems to be coming from a disk-like shroud of heated dust, one reminiscent of the dusty disk that produced our planets.
Merak's detected disk approaches the orbit of Saturn in size, the dust particles having temperatures of a few hundred degrees Kelvin, similar to that found in our own planetary system. Does the star have planets too? We do not know. Merak is also a prominent part of the Ursa Major Cluster <umaclus-p.html>, as are all the Dipper's stars but the two at the ends, the middle five all class A stars about the same distance away.
The sight from one of Merak's planets, were it to have any, would be quite lovely, the five easterly stars of the Dipper all "zeroth" magnitude or brighter within a 25 degree-wide segment, the middle three stars of the handle (Megrez, Alioth, and Mizar) clumped into a small brilliant triangle.
History of the star: A greenish white star in the loin or flank of the Bear Ursa Major <UrsaMajor.html>.
Merak, Mirak, Mirae, or Mizar, is from Arabic Al-Maraqq (<http://www.jas.org.jo/star.html> wink or Al Marakk, "The loins" (of the Bear).
It may have been known by the Greeks as Helike, or Helice, one of their names for the whole constellation of Ursa Major from the city of Callisto in Arcadia.
Merak was the Hindus', Pulaha (or Pulaaha, or Pulahak), one of the seven Rishis (born from Brahma's navel).
Alpha (<Dubhe.html> wink and beta (this star Merak) were the Keepers, or the Pointers, at the front of the "Dipper Bowl" in Ursa Major; a line extending through these two will direct the observer to <Polaris.html>, the North Star.
It is one of the "The Plough", also called "the Big Dipper" stars, a bucket shaped figure or asterism in the back of the Bear, outlined by the stars; Merak (this star beta), <Dubhe.html> (alpha), <Phecda.html> (gamma) and <Megrez.html> (delta).
In early Arabic astronomy these four stars constituted the coffin or bier (bier and bear come from the same root word) surrounded by mourners of Al Na'ash, who was murdered by Al Jadi, the pole-star (Polaris), and this constellation was seen as a funeral procession, attributing this title to the slow and solemn motion of the figure around the pole. (Allen).
Influence of the constellation: It is said to give a quiet, prudent, suspicious, mistrustful, self-controlled, patient nature, but an uneasy spirit and great anger when roused. By the Kabalists it is associated with the Hebrew letter Zain and the 7th Tarot Trump "The Chariot". (Robson).
General influence of the star: Merak has a Mars nature and is of importance in a natal chart, if the sign Leo is tenanted and other configurations give a clue to love of command and domination. This star is credited with increasing the power to get on in life and this is especially so if in conjunction with the Sun, Mars or Pluto. (Ebertin).
Rising: Those born at the rising of this constellation will be tamers of wild beasts, that is men to teach bears, bulls and lions to lay aside their fierceness and share in human ways. (Manilius Astronomica 1st century AD).
What's in a Name: Arabic for the "flank" of the Bear.
Claim to Fame: One of the famous Pointer stars that point to the North Star.
Type of Star:White Main Sequence
How Far Away: 62 light years away
How Bright:About 50 times brighter than the Sun
Where to View:In the constellation Ursa Major.
When to View:All year round in the Northern HemisphereMerak is called a Pointer star because it points to the North Star, Polaris </tour/link=/the_universe/polaris.html>. Start with Merak's neighbor, Dubhe </tour/link=/the_universe/dubhe.html>, and draw an imaginary line through Merak. Continue the line north and you will reach Polaris.
