Facts about Alioth
- 11
Astronomers have modeled Alioth's extreme oblateness using observations that show the star's equatorial bulge creates differential gravitational darkening effects invisible in normal spherical stars.
- 10
Approximately 1.5 million times stronger than Earth's magnetic field, Alioth's magnetosphere creates starspots that shift position as the star rotates every 12.6 hours.
- 09
Spectroscopic studies reveal that Alioth's iron abundance exceeds solar levels by a factor of approximately 100, making it one of the most iron-rich stars known in Earth's galactic neighborhood.
- 08
Alioth's rapid 12.6-hour rotation causes its poles to flatten into an oblate spheroid shape with an equatorial radius approximately 23 percent larger than its polar radius.
- 07
In 1947, astronomers discovered that Alioth's unusual magnetic field strength of approximately 1,500 Gauss causes its metallic elements to concentrate unevenly across its stellar surface.
- 06
Alioth's designation as an Ap star prototype means its chemical abundances show extreme overabundances of elements like chromium and silicon compared to normal A-type stars.
- 05
Visual observations spanning multiple decades have documented that Alioth's brightness varies slightly due to its rapid rotation carrying regions of different chemical composition across its visible surface.
- 04
Alioth's spectrum displays unusual metallic line strengths that deviate significantly from normal A-type stars, earning it the designation as the prototype of the Ap star class.
- 03
Magnetic field variations on Alioth's surface create unusual spectral anomalies that astronomers have measured since the 1940s, making it one of the most studied peculiar A-type stars.
- 02
Around 1.16 solar masses comprise Alioth, making it slightly heavier than Earth's sun and classifying it as a late A-type main-sequence star.
- 01
The brightest star in the Big Dipper's handle, Alioth, lies approximately 81 light-years from Earth and rotates once every 12.6 hours.