Star lore
Phecda
Direct answer
Phecda is Gamma Ursae Majoris, a white main-sequence star forming the lower inner corner of the Big Dipper's bowl.
Phecda is the bowl star opposite Dubhe in the Big Dipper.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Constellations & Star Lore
- Related
- Merak, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar
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The story behind Phecda
Phecda’s Arabic-derived name refers to the thigh of the Great Bear.
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The Road of the Sun
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Why Phecda matters
Phecda’s place completes the four-star bowl and supports star hops toward galaxies beneath Ursa Major.
How to read Phecda
Join Merak to Phecda across the bowl's base, then extend southward toward nearby deep-sky fields.
Phecda in practice: an example
Phecda shares space motion with most central Dipper stars as part of the Ursa Major Moving Group.
Where readings of Phecda go wrong
The bowl shape is a perspective pattern; the moving group itself extends beyond the seven famous stars.
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
Close the lower edge of the Dipper bowl
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Common questions
What is Phecda?
Phecda is Gamma Ursae Majoris, a white main-sequence star forming the lower inner corner of the Big Dipper's bowl.
What do people get wrong about Phecda?
The bowl shape is a perspective pattern; the moving group itself extends beyond the seven famous stars.
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