Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | English word ALKAID

Definitions of ALKAID

1. (star) A star in the constellation of Ursa Major, the east-most star of the Plough

Examples of Using ALKAID in a Sentence

• Deep in the constellation Canes Venatici, M51 is often found by finding the easternmost star of the Big Dipper, Alkaid, and going 3.
• Proctor, who noticed that, except for Dubhe and Alkaid (Eta Ursae Majoris), the stars of the Big Dipper asterism all have proper motions heading towards a common point in Sagittarius.
• Alkaid , also called Eta Ursae Majoris (Latinised from η Ursae Majoris, abbreviated Eta UMa, η UMa), is a star in the constellation of Ursa Major.
• It was between the constellations of Boötes and Draco, near the tail of Ursa Major, containing stars between β Bootis (Nekkar) and η Ursae Majoris (Alkaid).
• Mizar's and Alcor's proper motions show they move together, along with most of the other stars of the Big Dipper except Dubhe and Alkaid, as members of the Ursa Major Moving Group, a mostly dispersed group of stars sharing a common birth.
• The Persian astronomer Al Biruni (973–1048 AD) mentioned its importance in the family life of the Arabs on the 18th day of the Syrian month Adar, the March equinox; and a modern story of that same people makes it the infant of the walidan (mother?) among the three Banat (the Mourners: Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid).
• The stars Alkaid to Phecda will then constitute the bowl, while Phecda, Merak, and Dubhe will be the handle.
• Veneration of Myōken as a god of war is believed to derive from the practice of worshiping the easternmost star of the Big Dipper, Alkaid (η UMa), known in Chinese as the 'Broken Army' or the 'Destroyer of Armies' (破軍星, Pinyin: Pòjūn xīng; Japanese: Hagunsei) to bring success in battle.

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