Mizar

astronomy

1. :  a group of stars of the second magnitude that is located near Alcor in the handle of the Big Dipper Alcor and Mizar, in the bend of the handle of the Big Dipper, are actually a complex system. Alcor is a binary and Mizar is a quadruple system of two binary stars. Keen eyes can usually split Alcor and Mizar into individual stars, but you'll need a telescope to resolve the other companions. — Becky Ramotowski, San Antonio Express-News, 21 June 2011 —called also Zeta Ursae Majoris ◆Although historically called a star, what we know as Mizar is actually a set of four separate stars, tightly bound together in two pairs by gravity.