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Merak

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 Hemisphere

Merak is called a Pointer star because it points to the North Star, Polaris. Start with Merak's neighbor, Dubhe, and draw an imaginary line through Merak. Continue the line north and you will reach Polaris.

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Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA