The primary component is an orange giant of the spectral type K3 III. Alula Borealis and Alula AustralisĪlula Borealis (Nu Ursae Majoris) is a double star located approximately 399 light-years away. The faintest, Alula Australis (Xi UMa), has an apparent magnitude of 4.264 and lies 29 light-years away. It shines at magnitude 3.06 from a distance of 183 light-years. Tania Australis (Mu UMa) is the brightest of the six stars.
The name Talitha is derived from the Arabic Al Fiḳrah al Thalitha, “the third leap (of the gazelle).” Alkaphrah is a corrupted form of the traditional name Alkafzah, derived from the Arabic al-qafzah, meaning “the leap.”
Talitha and Alkaphrah mark the third leap. The six stars that form the Three Leaps of the Gazelle, image: Wikisky All six star names are derived from phrases that refer to the Three Leaps asterism. Talitha and Alkaphrah were historically known as Talitha Borealis and Talitha Australis, but when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) set out to standardize the proper names of stars in the 2010s, the other traditional name of Kappa UMa, Alkaphrah, was approved for the star. The first leap is marked by the stars Alula Borealis (Nu Ursae Majoris) and Alula Australis (Xi Ursae Majoris), the second leap by Tania Borealis (Lambda Ursae Majoris) and Tania Australis (Mu Ursae Majoris), and the third leap by Talitha (Iota Ursae Majoris) and Alkaphrah (Kappa Ursae Majoris). In Arabic lore, the three pairs of stars represented the three leaps of a gazelle that dashed off across a large pond after being startled by the celestial Lion. The Three Leaps asterism has its origins in Arabic astronomy. They shine at magnitudes 3.06 – 4.26 and can be spotted between the Big Dipper and the Sickle of Leo on a clear night. The six stars mark the paws of the Great Bear. The Three Leaps of the Gazelle is an asterism formed by three pairs of stars in the constellation Ursa Major.
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