Messier 3 (M3) is a globular cluster located in the constellation Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs. It is one of the brightest, largest globular clusters in the sky.
M3 contains an estimated half a million stars. The brightest stars in the cluster are of magnitude 12.7 and the average brightness of the 25 brightest stars is 14.23 mag. The overall spectral type of M3 is F2.
›› Measurement unit: m3. Full name: cubic metre. Plural form: cubic meters. Symbol: m 3. Alternate spelling: cubic metres. Category type: volume. Scale factor: 1 ›› SI unit: cubic meter. The SI derived unit for volume is the cubic meter. 1 cubic meter is equal to 1 m3.
What is a constellation map?
Constellation maps divide the celestial sphere into 88 parts, known as constellations, helping astronomers locate stars and deep sky objects. The star constellations that can be seen in the night sky depend on the observer’s location and season, and they change throughout the year. Out of the 88 constellations recognized by the International.
What type of star is Merak?
Merak, also designated as Beta Ursae Majoris, is the fifth brightest star in the constellation of Ursa Major. Merak is one of the four stars which form the bowl of the famous asterism known as the Big Dipper. Merak is a bluish-white subgiant star of spectral type A1IVps.
When we were researching we ran into the question “Why are the stars Merak and Dubhe called pointer stars?”.
Let us dig a little deeper. the stars Merak (β Ursae Majoris) and Dubhe (α Ursae Majoris) are known as the “pointer stars” because they are helpful for finding Polaris, also known as the North Star or Pole Star. By visually tracing a line from Merak through Dubhe (1 unit) and continuing for 5 units, one’s eye will land on Polaris, accurately indicating true north.
Where is Merak on the Big Dipper?
Merak is the bottom right star of the Big Dipper’s celestial bowl. Apart from this, Merak is also one of the Pointer Stars, along with its neighbor Dubhe. These stars point to the direction of Polaris, the northern star, which also marks the true north. In the opposite direction, the stars point towards Regulus, the brightest star of Leo.
The name Merak (pronunciation: /ˈmɪəræk/) comes from the Arabic al-maraqq, meaning “the flank” or “the loins. ” It is the star’s traditional name and it refers to its position in Ursa Major. The International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) officially approved the name for the star on June 30, 2016.