The Nautical Almanac # 9 --- Mirfak, the Elbow of Perseus

Mirfak, the ninth star in the Nautical Almanac, is known as "The Elbow" due to the position it occupies in the constellation of Perseus The Hero. It is the brightest object in our night sky that lies between the Pleiades and Polaris, making it easy to discern. It is a yellow-white supergiant that burns at about 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit, making it just hotter than our Sun. Mirfak however is 7000 times more luminous than the Sun, as well as being 60 times the sun's diameter and seven times the Sun's mass. A first magnitude star as seen from Earth, Mirfak lies 510 light years away.