Struve 1694
Struve 1694 is a double star in the constellation Camelopardalis.
Σ 1694 is a double star, with components of magnitudes 5.3m and 5.9m:
- Σ 1694A is a white A-type giant star with an apparent magnitude of 5.28m. It is approximately 300 light years from Earth.
- Σ 1694B is a spectroscopic binary consisting of two A-type main sequence stars.
Σ 1694 was also known as 32 H. Camelopardalis, Hevelius' 32nd of Camelopardalis. It is not Flamsteed's "32 Camelopardalis", which is ξ Aurigae. In the British Association Catalogue, the star pair are listed as being in Ursa Minor.
Chinese name
In Chinese, 北極, meaning North Pole, refers to an asterism consisting of Σ 1694, γ Ursae Minoris, β Ursae Minoris, 5 Ursae Minoris and 4 Ursae Minoris. Consequently, Σ 1694 itself is known as 北極五, representing 天樞, meaning Celestial Pivot.This star was regarded as the north star by the Chinese people from the Han dynasty to Song dynasty.