Star lore
Alioth
Direct answer
Alioth is Epsilon Ursae Majoris, the brightest star of the Big Dipper and the first handle star beyond the bowl.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Constellations & Star Lore
- Related
- Megrez, Phecda, Mizar, Alkaid
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The story behind Alioth
The proper name has Arabic roots but passed through varied historical spellings and interpretations.
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The Road of the Sun
Where the twelve signs came from, and why they carry the names they do.
Why Alioth matters
Alioth’s brightness anchors the transition from bowl to handle and makes the Dipper's sweeping curve easy to continue.
How to read Alioth
Move outward from Megrez to Alioth, then follow the handle through Mizar to Alkaid.
Alioth in practice: an example
Alioth is a chemically peculiar magnetic star whose spectral features change as it rotates.
Where readings of Alioth go wrong
Big Dipper brightness rankings are easy to misjudge near the horizon where extinction varies across the pattern.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- IAU Division C Working Group on Star Names - Official IAU working group responsible for standardizing star names used in international astronomy.
- CDS SIMBAD Astronomical Database - Professional astronomical database for stellar identifiers, positions, classifications, and bibliography.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Constellations & Star Lore
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
Begin the Dipper handle at Alioth
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Common questions
What is Alioth?
Alioth is Epsilon Ursae Majoris, the brightest star of the Big Dipper and the first handle star beyond the bowl.
What do people get wrong about Alioth?
Big Dipper brightness rankings are easy to misjudge near the horizon where extinction varies across the pattern.
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