| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 |
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|---|---|
| Constellation | Canis Major |
| Right ascension | 06h20m18.8s |
| Declination | −30°03′48″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +3.02 |
| Distance | 336 ± 20 ly (103 ± 6 pc) |
| Spectral type | B2.5V |
| Other designations | |
Zeta Canis Majoris (ζ CMa, ζ Canis Majoris) is a spectroscopic binary in the constellation Canis Major. It has the traditional name Furud or Phurud, from the Arabic ألفرد al-furud meaning the bright single ones or, perhaps by a transcriber's error, from Al Ḳurūd (ألقرد - al-qird), the Apes, or Al Agribah (أل أغربة), the Raven by Al Sufi, referring to the surrounding small stars with some of those of Columba[1] (ζ CMa, λ CMa, γ Col, δ Col, θ Col, κ Col, λ Col, μ Col and ξ Col)[2]. ζ Canis Majoris is approximately 336 light years from Earth.
The primary component, ζ Canis Majoris A, is a blue-white B-type main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of +3.02. It has an unseen companion, ζ Canis Majoris B. The two stars orbit around their common centre of mass once every 675 days.
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