Seeing double: Mizar and Alcor

The star in the middle of the 'handle of the Big Dipper is actually two stars - Mizar and the much dimmer Alcor. In this video, you will be able to catch fleeting glimpses of the dimmer Alcor twinkling on the right-handside of the much brighter Mizar. Mizar itself is actually two stars - Mizar A and Mizar B. Using higher magnifications, you can actually 'split' this binary star system - though, if you look carefully at this video, you may well see the glow of the smaller Mizar B at the bottom of Mizar A.

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Science & Technology