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| | Big Dipper |
 | | Mizar, at a distance of 78 light years from the Sun, and Alcor at 81 light years, while appearing to be a double star, are actually only an optical double. |
 | | The components of the Mizar multiple star system are Mizar A (Zeta 1 Ursa Majoris at magnitude 2.27) and Mizar B (Zeta 2 Ursa Majoris at magnitude 3.95), located 14.42 arc seconds away. |
 | | Between Mizar and Alcor is a fourth star, Sidus Ludoviciana, shining at magnitude 8, which is a field star that is not even part of the Ursa Major cluster. |
| www.astropix.com /HTML/C_SPRING/BIGDIP.HTM (447 words) |
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