However, unlike most stars of the Big Dipper, it is not a member of the Ursa Major moving group.

Its outer atmosphere has an effective temperature of about 15,540 K,[7] giving it the blue-white hue of a B-type star.

However, the lines are very slightly distorted and variable, which may be caused by some emission from a weak disk of material produced by the rapid rotation.

[10] Alkaid derives from the Arabic phrase meaning "The leader of the daughters of the bier" (قائد بنات نعش qā'id bināt naʿsh).

USS Alkaid (AK-114) was a United States Navy Crater class cargo ship named after the star.