Confirmation that Z UMa is near maximum brightness

In my last post a few days ago I said I would be having another go at estimating the brightness of the pulsating variable Z Ursae Majoris to confirm my rather rushed observation. Well, last night (9th May 2025) it was clear and, in spite of the moon being bright and 3 days before full, I got my observation (using 10x50 bins):-

Z Uma, 21:45 UT, chart 217.02, A(1)V(4)B, mag. 6.5

Unfortunately the two comparison stars on the chart A and B are a magnitude apart but it was clear that Z was nearer to A in brightness rather than B and this was how I arrived at my estimate.

All text and images © Duncan Hale-Sutton 2025