Majoris has a relatively weak magnetic field, 15 times weaker than α Canum Venaticorum, but it is still 100 times stronger than that of the Earth. Name and etymology ε Ursae Majoris (Latinised to Epsilon Ursae Majoris) is the star's Bayer designation. The traditional name Alioth comes from the Arabic alyat al-hamal ("the sheep's fat tail"). In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN's first bulletin of July 2016 included a table of the first two batches of names approved by the WGSN; which included Alioth for this star. This star was known to the Hindus as Añgiras, one of the Seven Rishis. In Chinese, (), meaning Northern Dipper, refers to an asterism equivalent to the Big Dipper. Consequently, the Chinese name for Epsilon Ursae Majoris itself is (, ) and (, ). Namesakes The United States Navy's Crater class cargo ship was named after the star. See also List of brightest stars List of nearest bright stars Lists of stars Historical brightest stars References Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum variables Ap stars A-type giants Ursa Major Moving Group Big Dipper Ursa Major (constellation) Ursae Majoris, Epsilon 4905 BD+56 1627 Ursae Majoris, 77 112185 062956 Alioth