Big Dipper star fading out ?

Is it just me or is the star that connects the dipper with the handle fading out

There are no clouds its a cold , clear night

For those that can , step outside and observe

I have never come across this before

Its barely there if at all

 

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People

Its gone , completely !!!

The star is gone

I have looked for this star three times and it is not there

 

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I looked for the fourth time , by the naked eye

This star fades in and out and barely perceivable , when it does

Now I use to see the shape of the big dipper easily

Now I don't

 

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But it's too cold to go out and look!

 

Tough it out scott and look

 

If it is not too cloudy. I will take the binoculars out...

 

No

No binoculars just the naked eye

The star is barely discernible and I mean barely , and only by staring at the spot for a minute or two

And even then , fades in and out

This should not be the case , the star should be easily seen , it always has been

 

Confirmed.. I dont see it, either.

 

Thanks

Here I thought it was just me

 

Do stars just fade quitely turning into brown dwarfs, or do i have to stay up all night, waiting for the most spetacular light show we've ever whitnessed from Earth?

 

Scott where are you located ?

I'm in central Ontario , Canada

 

Ursa Majoris Epsilon. I,m in NE Ohio, US. Not a super clear nigjt here, but clear enough to notice the issue.

 

Correction, Ursa Majoris Delta, I left out Alpha.

 

Thanks for telling me

This could be a special night for astronomy

 

Also known as Megrez meaning "base of the bear's tail". Type 1a, 100 light years away. Was apready the dimmest of the seven stars making up Ursa Major. Hope it's back tomorrow, I guess. That's a bit strange overall. Please update any changes.

 

I will

Tomorrow night I'll try to make the same observations , assuming a clear night sky

I did observe again though just a couple of minutes ago and the star fades in and out and barely visible to the naked eye which is not normal

 

Basically the star is fading in and out , and there are moments that it disappears completely

If anyone has access to telescope tell me whats going on with this star

 

Here's one that fades at regular intervals.
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/2869-ssc2010-01b-Mystery-of-the-Fading-Star

 

Page 25 of this book, states that it may be fading, and has some historical documentation that it was once as bright as the other stars in Ursa Major.

http://books.google.com/books?id=y6...0CGUQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=Megrez fading&f=false

Here's another quote from a document I found.

"Megrez (Delta Ursae Majoris) is the faintest star located in the middle of The Big Dipper. The Arabic meaning is “the root of the Great Bear’s tail.” Megrez is 81 light years away with a temperature of 8,630 degrees Kelvin. Its radius is double our Sun’s radius and is 20 times more luminous regardless of the fact that it carries only twice the mass. This is because of a higher internal gravitational compression and temperature. It is part of the five stars all moving through space together at the same distance. Megrez is roughly 50 million years old and has been thought to be fading over the centuries."

 

If you stare at a star it will look like it fades out. That is due to the physiology of the eye. The best way to observe faint stars is not to look directly at the star.

Naked eye astronomy.