Phecda

noun

Phec·​da ˈfek-də 

astronomy

: a white star of the second magnitude that is part of the bowl of the Big Dipper

The best way to find these galaxies is to draw a line from the star Phecda, in the lower left corner of the Big Dipper's pot, to Dubhe, at the opposite corner.

—St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press, 25 June 2006

called also Gamma Ursae Majoris

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

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