![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.popastro.com\/images\/variablestar\/RUMa_2015sep-2016aug_LC.png\")
<\/p>\n\n\tThe Mira type variable R Ursae Majoris is currently approaching its 2016 maximum.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n\tR UMa has an average gap between maxima of 302 days – approx 10 months. As the light curve below shows, the most recent maximum occurred in November 2015.<\/p>\n
\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tThis maximum was fainter than average, with R UMa only reaching about mag 8.0, more than half a magnitude below its average peak (some can become as bright as mag 6.7). Following a minimum at around mag 12.5 during spring 2016, R UMa had by early August brightened to around mag 8.1.<\/p>\n
\n\tMaximum brightness is expected to occur in late August or early September.<\/p>\n
\n\tYou can follow the brightness changes of R UMa using this chart, which has north at the top and is approx 7 degrees by 4 degrees. Comparison stars are labelled with their magnitudes (decimal points omitted so, for example, ’76’ labels a comparison star of magnitude 7.6).<\/p>\n
\n\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.popastro.com\/images\/variablestar\/RUMa_chart.PNG\")
<\/p>\n
\n\tMore information about R UMa, including a wider angle chart showing the location of R UMa relative to the main stars of the ‘Plough’, can be found here<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Mira type variable R Ursae Majoris is currently approaching its 2016 maximum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-variable-stars"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\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