There's A "Muscida" On The Bear's Nose
Envision a mosquito on your proboscis. With that memory aid, consider that the great bear Ursa Major has a Muscida on its nose. Dr. Jim Kaler writes:
MUSCIDA (Omicron Ursae Majoris). While not part of Ursa Major's "Dipper," Muscida holds a special place as the Great Bear's snout, the star that leads the beast around the north celestial pole. The name, one of the few that comes directly from Latin, appropriately means "muzzle." While many of the brighter stars of Ursa Major are relatively common white stars of class A or orange giants of class K, Muscida stands out as a "yellow" class G (G5) giant. An easily visible third magnitude (3.36), Muscida shines with the light of 140 Suns from a distance of 185 light years.
For details about the named claws of the great bear, see Alula, Tania, and Talitha.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4c0e6f_677272bc0d364a4e947fe531b159bf26.png/v1/fill/w_980,h_573,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/4c0e6f_677272bc0d364a4e947fe531b159bf26.png)