{"id":55,"date":"2015-02-12T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-02-12T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:4545\/guide-to-z-ursae-majoris\/"},"modified":"2018-01-15T12:25:12","modified_gmt":"2018-01-15T12:25:12","slug":"guide-to-z-ursae-majoris","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.popastro.com\/variablestar\/reference\/guides\/guide-to-z-ursae-majoris\/","title":{"rendered":"Guide to Z Ursae Majoris"},"content":{"rendered":"

A reliable variable star located in the ‘bowl’ of Ursa Major.<\/p>\n

\"Z<\/p>\n

Z Ursae Majoris is a red giant star whose brightness variations are due to pulsations in its outer layers. Although it is classed as a semi-regular variable, Z UMa can be relied upon to produce a good amount of brightness variation on a regular basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Extreme brightness range<\/td>\n6.3 – 9.8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
More typical range<\/td>\n6.9 – 8.7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Period of variation<\/td>\nAbout 6 months (longer secondary period is also present)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Frequency of observation<\/td>\nWorth checking a few times per month<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Observe using<\/td>\n50mm binoculars will suffice for most of the time, but 60-80mm binoculars may be required during the deeper minima<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Visibility<\/td>\nCan be observed all year round. Circumpolar<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The following charts show the location of Z Ursae Majoris.<\/p>\n

You can follow the brightness changes of Z UMa by comparing its brightness with that of the lettered comparison stars.<\/p>\n

The first shows the wide area view and labels\u00a0the brighter comparison stars (A to D).<\/p>\n

\"\"
Wide angle finder chart for Z UMa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The second shows the fainter comparison stars.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Binocular chart for Z UMa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A guide to the semi-regular variable star Z Ursae Majoris<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":81,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-variable-stars"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t