Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Gamma Ursae Minoris is a slightly variable star in the constellation Ursa Minor. It also has the common name Pherkad. Together with Beta Ursae Minoris, Gamma forms the end of the dipper pan of the "Little Dipper". Gamma Ursae Minoris has apparent magnitude +3.00. It is approximately 480 light years from Earth and is of spectral class A3, meaning it has a surface temperature of 7,500 to 11,000 kelvins. It is classified as a Delta Scuti type variable star and its brightness varies by 0.05 magnitudes with a period of 3.43 hours. It is 1100 times more luminous than the Sun, and possesses a radius 15 times that of the Sun.