Are you prepared for action at any time like the legendary SWAT Team? If yes, you have something to do with the star Merak, a fabulous star in the north-eastern sky ever so present to keep you ever so prepared. In this blog post, I examine the star Merak in terms of Astronomy, Asterism and Cosmics and outline recommendations for improving your life.

Astronomy

Merak is a bright hot star beaming with white colour tinged in green shade in the north eastern sky. The word Merak comes from Arabic “Al-Maraak Al- Dubb Al- Akbar” meaning “the Loin of the Great Bear”. It is located in Ursa Major constellation or simply “Great Bear” constellation. Merak is a part of seven star combinations known as Big Dipper Asterism. Fabulously dazzling in colour, Merak is the fifth brightest star in the Great Bear constellation, even though Astronomer Bayer in his classification gave the second place to the star by allotting the Greek letter Beta.

Merak is astronomically referred to as “Beta Ursa Major“. It is classified as A1V indicating it is white dwarf main sequence star like our Sun, fusing hydrogen to helium in its core. A third magnitude star in brightness in the scale of at 2.3, Merak is located in Right Ascension (Celestial Longitude) 11 hour 2 minutes and 27 seconds and Declination (Celestial Latitude) 56 degree 19 minutes and 41 seconds. Merak has surface temperature of 9,600 Kelvin and is about 70 times luminous than the Sun. It is about 70 light years away and about 3 times the size of the Sun. It is fairly a northern star and is moving away from earth at a speed of 7.5 miles per second. Merak is known for various features:

1. As a Pointing star: if you draw an imaginary line from Merak thru Dubhe and go up North you would arrive at the Polar Star

2. As a star with a Disk: Like the planet Saturn, the star Merak has a cooling disk surrounding it; It gives an excellent colour combination of white with greenish tinge. Various theories abound for this phenomenon. One is that the surrounding area has heated dust that gives infra-red light translating into a fascinating colour; the other is that the star Merak might have a planet orbiting it

3. Merak is located 56 degree north; therefore it is a circumpolar star that is, never setting for those who live in areas 30 degrees north

4. In close proximity to Merak, but towards the west there is a planetary nebula known as “Owl Nebula” classified as NGC 3587 or Messier Object M 97.

Asterism

Merak is a part of the Big Dipper Asterism, the most famous out of all asterisms. Big Dipper is also known as Wagon in USA and Plough in UK. The appropriate word is ladle because all the seven stars in the asterism form a ladle. This asterism is noted in astronomy because the seven stars in the asterism are related to each other in terms of speed; motion and the direction towards these are moving away from earth. This remarkable fact is known as “Ursa Major Moving Group”. The seven stars in the asterism are: Dubhe, Merak, Megrez, Phekda, Alioth, Mizar and Alkaid. In Hindu mythology the asterism is called Saptha Rishi (Seven Stages) and they are represented as stars in the following manner: Kratu as Dubhe; Pulaha as Merak ; Atri as Megrez; Pulastya as Phekda; Angiras as Alioth; Vasishta as Mizar; Bhrigu as Alkaid. Out of these sages, Pulaha personified as Merak was born from the Navel of the God Brahma.

Cosmics

Merak does not figure as a birth star, sighted by the Moon or lucky star sighted by other six planets because it is far away from the ecliptical plane. Hence, Merak can influence your life as a rising star or a culminating star only. However, the effect of the star Merak is not much pronounced in cases of persons who are born in locations above 30 degree north in latitude or below 30 degree south in latitude. This is because for those who are born in locations above 30 degree north the star Merak never sets and to those who are born in locations below 30 degree south the star Merak never rises.

Positive Cosmics

1. Merak girds up your loin; you are always ready for action; you are blessed with the ability to take stock of the situation, develop your strategies and tactics, implement these in optimum manner and go towards your stated goals

2. Merak gives you uncanny wisdom appropriate for those who are to make decision at the spur of the moment like members of the legendary SWAT Team, Commandos, Business Negotiators and CEOs of large corporations

3. Merak also gives you smart look; bright in outlook; taking responsibility and always moving forward

4. Merak gets you the pleasures of life but as you start to enjoy there is a call from your boss or office to handle another assignment. Like James Bond in the movie you have little time to enjoy the plums of life that is spread all over you.

Negative Cosmics

1. You need to put lot of acting under pressure or under a guise; hence real love and fondness escape from you

2. You can be caught in a web of deceit

3. You will also develop erratic behaviour pattern in sex, family and business relations as time goes on.

Improving Your Life

The following are few recommendations to improve your life:

1. You should select white, green and light colours for your dress

2. Numbers 2, 5 & 8 do wonders for you

3. You must sleep, keeping your head towards the south -west

4. You must join special services in the armed forces

5. Marriage through love at first sight is shown, but bewares of it

6. Any business where quick decision making is involved could fit your bill

7. You should use the combination of alphabets “S “and “L” in your name

8. You must develop lifestyle to go with “on the job and always moving scenario”

9. During leisure, be homely as far as possible because you are having enough out door activities; now is the time to look at the home front and to look after the welfare of your family.

Muthu Ashraff

Cosmic Adviser

Mobile : +94 777 265677

E-mail : cosmicgems@gmail.com

Web : http://www.cosmicgemslanka.com

Blog : http://cosmicgemslanka.com/blog/