Draco ( constellation ) - wikipedia Draco ( constellation ) Draco Constellation List of stars in Draco Abbreviation Dra Genitive Draconis Pronunciation / ˈdreɪkoʊ / genitive / drəˈkoʊnɪs / Symbolism the Dragon Right ascension 17 Declination + 65 Quadrant NQ3 Area 1083 sq. deg. ( 8th ) Main stars 14 Bayer / Flamsteed stars 76 Stars with planets 19 Stars brighter than 3.00 Stars within 10.00 pc ( 32.62 ly ) 7 Brightest star γ Dra ( Eltanin ) ( 2.24 ) Messier objects Meteor showers Draconids Bordering constellations Boötes Hercules Lyra Cygnus Cepheus Ursa Minor Camelopardalis Ursa Major Visible at latitudes between + 90 ° and − 15 °. Best visible at 21 : 00 ( 9 p.m. ) during the month of July. Draco is a constellation in the far northern sky. Its name is Latin for dragon. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. The north pole of the ecliptic is in Draco. Draco is circumpolar ( that is, never setting ), and can be seen all year from northern latitudes. Contents 1 Features 1.1 Stars 1.2 Deep - sky objects 1.3 Mythology 1.4 Meteor showers 2 Namesakes 3 See also 4 References 5 External links Features The constellation Draco as it can be seen by the naked eye Stars Main article : List of stars in Draco Thuban ( α Draconis ) was the northern pole star from 3942 BC, when it moved farther north than Theta Boötis, until 1793 BC. The Egyptian Pyramids were designed to have one side facing north, with an entrance passage geometrically aligned so that Thuban would be visible at night. Due to the effects of precession, it will again be the pole star around the year AD 21000. It is a blue - white giant star of magnitude 3.7, 309 light - years from Earth. The traditional name of Alpha Draconis, Thuban, means `` head of the serpent ''. There are three stars under magnitude 3 in Draco. The brighter of the three, and the brightest star in Draco, is Gamma Draconis, traditionally called Etamin or Eltanin. It is an orange giant star of magnitude 2.2, 148 light - years from Earth. The aberration of starlight was discovered in 1728 when James Bradley observed Gamma Draconis. Nearby Beta Draconis, traditionally called Rastaban, is a yellow giant star of magnitude 2.8, 362 light - years from Earth. Its name shares a meaning with Thuban, `` head of the serpent ''. Draco is home to several double stars and binary stars. η Draconis is a double star with a yellow - hued primary of magnitude 2.8 and a white - hued secondary of magnitude 8.2 located south of the primary. The two are separated by 4.8 arcseconds. Mu Draconis, traditionally called Alrakis, is a binary star with two white components. Magnitude 5.6 and 5.7, the two components orbit each other every 670 years. The Alrakis system is 88 light - years from Earth. Nu Draconis is a similar binary star with two white components, 100 light - years from Earth. Both components are of magnitude 4.9 and can be distinguished in a small amateur telescope or a pair of binoculars. Omicron Draconis is a double star divisible in small telescopes. The primary is an orange giant of magnitude 4.6, 322 light - years from Earth. The secondary is of magnitude 7.8. Psi Draconis is a binary star divisible in binoculars and small amateur telescopes, 72 light - years from Earth. The primary is a yellow - white star of magnitude 4.6 and the secondary is a yellow star of magnitude 5.8. 16 Draconis and 17 Draconis are part of a triple star 400 light - years from Earth, divisible in medium - sized amateur telescopes. The primary, a blue - white star of magnitude 5.1, is itself a binary with components of magnitude 5.4 and 6.5. The secondary is of magnitude 5.5 and the system is 400 light - years away. 20 Draconis is a binary star with a white - hued primary of magnitude 7.1 and a yellow - hued secondary of magnitude 7.3 located east - northeast of the primary. The two are separated by 1.2 arcseconds at their maximum and have an orbital period of 420 years. As of 2012, the two components are approaching their maximum separation. 39 Draconis is a triple star 188 light - years from Earth, divisible in small amateur telescopes. The primary is a blue star of magnitude 5.0, the secondary is a yellow star of magnitude 7.4, and the tertiary is a star of magnitude 8.0 ; the tertiary appears to be a close companion to the primary. 40 Draconis and 41 Draconis are a binary star divisible in small telescopes. The two orange dwarf stars are 170 light - years from Earth and are of magnitude 5.7 and 6.1. R Draconis is a red Mira - type variable star with a period of about 8 months. Its average minimum magnitude is approximately 12.4, and its average maximum magnitude is approximately 7.6. It was discovered to be a variable star by Hans Geelmuyden in 1876. The constellation contains the star recently named Kepler - 10, which has been confirmed to be orbited by Kepler - 10b, the smallest rocky Earth - sized planet yet detected outside of the Solar System. Deep - sky objects One of the deep - sky objects in Draco is the Cat 's Eye Nebula ( NGC 6543 ), a planetary nebula approximately 3,000 light - years away that was discovered by English astronomer William Herschel in 1786. It is 9th magnitude and was named for its appearance in the Hubble Space Telescope, though it appears as a fuzzy blue - green disk in an amateur telescope. NGC 6543 has a very complex shape due to gravitational interactions between the components of the multiple star at its center, the progenitor of the nebula approximately 1,000 years ago. It is located 9.6 arcminutes away from the north ecliptic pole to the west - northwest. It is also related to IC 4677, a nebula that appears as a bar 1.8 arcminutes to the west of the Cat 's Eye nebula. In long - term exposures, IC 4677 appears as a portion of a ring surrounding the planetary nebula. There are several faint galaxies in Draco, one of which is the lenticular galaxy NGC 5866 ( sometimes considered to be Messier Object 102 ) that bears its name to a small group that also includes the spiral galaxies NGC 5879 and NGC 5907. Another is the Draco Dwarf Galaxy, one of the least luminous galaxies with an absolute magnitude of − 8.6 and a diameter of only about 3,500 light years, discovered by Albert G. Wilson of Lowell Observatory in 1954. Another dwarf galaxy found in this constellation is PGC 39058. PGC 39058, a dwarf galaxy found within the Draco constellation -- picture taken by ESA / Hubble & NASA. Draco also features several interacting galaxies and galaxy clusters. One such massive cluster is Abell 2218, located at a distance of 3 billion light - years ( redshift 0.171 ). It acts as a gravitational lens for even more distant background galaxies, allowing astronomers to study those galaxies as well as Abell 2218 itself ; more specifically, the lensing effect allows astronomers to confirm the cluster 's mass as determined by x-ray emissions. One of the most well - known interacting galaxies is Arp 188, also called the `` Tadpole Galaxy ''. Named for its appearance, which features a `` tail '' of stars 280,000 light - years long, the Tadpole Galaxy is at a distance of 420 million light - years ( redshift 0.0314 ). The tail of stars drawn off the Tadpole Galaxy appears blue because the gravitational interaction disturbed clouds of gas and sparked star formation. Q1634 + 706 is a quasar that holds the distinction of being the most distant object usually visible in an amateur telescope. At magnitude 14.4, it appears star - like, though it is at a distance of 12.9 billion light - years. The light of Q1634 + 706 has taken 8.6 billion years to reach Earth, a discrepancy attributable to the expansion of the universe. The Hercules -- Corona Borealis Great Wall, possibly the largest known structure in the universe, covers a part of the southern region of Draco. Mythology Draco coils around the north celestial pole, as depicted in Urania 's Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c. 1825 Dragons in Greek mythology that may have inspired the constellation 's name include Ladon, the dragon who guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides. Heracles killed Ladon during his 12 labors ; he was tasked with stealing the golden apples. The constellation of Hercules is depicted near Draco. In Greco - Roman legend, Draco was a dragon killed by the goddess Minerva and tossed into the sky upon his defeat. The dragon was one of the Gigantes, who battled the Olympic gods for ten years. As Minerva threw the dragon, it became twisted on itself and froze at the cold North Celestial Pole before it could right itself. Sometimes, Draco is represented as the demon son of Gaia, Typhon. Traditional Arabic astronomy does not depict a dragon in modern - day Draco, which is called the Mother Camels. Instead, two hyenas, represented by Eta Draconis and Zeta Draconis are seen attacking a baby camel ( a dim star near Beta Draconis ), which is protected by four female camels, represented by Beta Draconis, Gamma Draconis, Nu Draconis, and Xi Draconis. The nomads who own the camels are camped nearby, represented by a cooking tripod composed of Upsilon, Tau, and Sigma Draconis. In some mythology, Draco had one hundred magnificent heads, guarded the golden apple tree, and was put in the sky as a constellation for protecting the apples with valor. The constellation has been subject to many more myths, but ones that are obscure. Meteor Showers The February Eta Draconids is a meteor shower that was discovered on February 4, 2011. Observers noted six meteors with a common radiant in a short period. Its parent is a previously unknown long - period comet. Namesakes Draco was a United States Navy Crater class cargo ship named after the constellation. The main character in the 1996 film Dragonheart gets his name from this constellation. The film also reveals that Draco is actually a dragon heaven, where dragons go when their time in this world is complete, and if they have upheld the oath of an ancient dragon to guard mankind, with dragons otherwise fading into nothing upon their deaths. At the conclusion of the film, Draco, the last dragon, ascends into the constellation after he sacrifices himself to destroy an evil king that he had saved years ago. The chess opening called the Dragon Variation of the Sicilian Defense was also named after the constellation by Russian chess master Fyodor Dus - Chotimirsky. The Beyblade top Lightning L - Drago 100HF and its evolutions Meteo L - Drago LW105LF and L - Drago Destructor F :S are inspired by / based on the Draco constellation. They all feature three dragon heads chasing each other in a counter-clockwise motion, possibly referencing Ladon 's multiple heads. Draco Malfoy, an antagonist in the Harry Potter series, is named after the constellation as well. See also 3C 319 References Citations ^ Jump up to : Ridpath & Tirion 2001, pp. 142 - 143. Jump up ^ Staal 1988, pp. 239 -- 240. ^ Jump up to : French, Sue ( July 2012 ). `` By Draco 's Scaly Folds ''. Sky & Telescope. 124 ( 1 ). Jump up ^ MacRobert, Alan ( July 2012 ). `` The Rise of R Draconis ''. Sky & Telescope. 124 ( 1 ). ^ Jump up to : Wilkins & Dunn 2006. ^ Jump up to : Staal 1988, p. 237. Jump up ^ Staal 1988, p. 239. Jump up ^ Jenniskens, Peter ( September 2012 ). `` Mapping Meteoroid Orbits : New Meteor Showers Discovered ''. Sky & Telescope : 24. References Ridpath, Ian ; Tirion, Wil ( 2001 ), Stars and Planets Guide, Princeton University Press, ISBN 0 - 691 - 08913 - 2 Ridpath, Ian ; Tirion, Wil ( 2007 ). Stars and Planets Guide. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 691 - 13556 - 4. Staal, Julius D.W. ( 1988 ). The New Patterns in the Sky. McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company. ISBN 978 - 0 - 939923 - 04 - 5. Wilkins, Jamie ; Dunn, Robert ( 2006 ). 300 Astronomical Objects : A Visual Reference to the Universe. Firefly Books. ISBN 978 - 1 - 55407 - 175 - 3. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to : Draco ( category ) The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations : Draco Star Tales -- Draco Warburg Institute Iconographic Database ( over 170 medieval and early modern images of Draco ) Stars of Draco Bayer α ( Thuban ) β ( Rastaban ) γ ( Eltanin ) δ ( Altais ) ε ( Tyl ) ζ ( Aldhibah ) η ( Athebyne ) θ ι ( Edasich ) κ λ ( Giausar ) μ ( Alrakis ) ν ( Kuma ) ξ ( Grumium ) ο π ρ σ ( Alsafi ) τ υ φ χ ψ ( Dziban ) ψ ω Flamsteed 6 7 ( Tianyi ) 8 ( Taiyi ) 9 10 ( i ) 15 ( A ) 16 17 18 ( g ) 19 ( h ) 20 26 27 ( f ) 29 30 35 36 37 38 39 ( b ) 40 41 42 ( Fafnir ) 45 ( d ) 46 ( c ) 48 49 50 51 53 54 55 59 64 ( e ) 65 66 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 Variable Z RR RW RY RZ SU SW TW TX TZ UX UZ VW WW XZ AB AC AG AI AT BH BK BS BT BV BW BY CL CM CN CR CX DE DK DL DO DQ EE EF EK EP ER EX EY FU IU LV HR 3719 3751 3774 3806 3843 3847 4121 4126 4272 4627 4659 4687 4727 4740 4927 4934 5018 5162 5227 5282 5436 5442 5451 5552 5606 5731 5737 5748 5755 5759 5768 5785 5811 5818 5828 5841 5878 5886 5887 5922 5949 5981 5995 6025 6036 6038 6069 6101 6126 6130 6150 6170 6180 6198 6199 6237 6226 6330 6335 6345 6348 6360 6383 6395 6421 6479 6511 6514 6518 6540 6560 6598 6606 6607 6618 6699 6717 6735 6790 6817 6827 6880 6886 6891 6911 6949 6983 7006 7013 7018 7025 7028 7042 7060 7071 7075 7082 7096 7117 7123 7137 7153 7154 7160 7184 7187 7191 7196 7199 7229 7252 7356 7413 7423 7425 7448 7450 7500 7545 7654 7666 7695 7704 7783 7805 7868 7930 8016 HD 81817 100858 109246 101364 112826 149198 156279 158259 163607 175305 184467 185394 Gliese Gliese 420 Gliese 487 Gliese 625 Gliese 687 Gliese 793 GJ 1227 GJ 4053 Kepler 10 12 52 90 101 296 407 408 Other G 240 - 72 GD 356 GRW + 70 8247 HAT - P - 37 LP 71 - 82 2M 1237 + 6526 PSR B1508 + 55 SSSPM J1138 - 7722 Struve 2398 WASP - 51 WD 1647 + 591 WD 1821 + 643 WISE 1647 + 5632 List The 88 modern constellations Andromeda Antlia Apus Aquarius Aquila Ara Aries Auriga Boötes Caelum Camelopardalis Cancer Canes Venatici Canis Major Canis Minor Capricornus Carina Cassiopeia Centaurus Cepheus Cetus Chamaeleon Circinus Columba Coma Berenices Corona Australis Corona Borealis Corvus Crater Crux Cygnus Delphinus Dorado Draco Equuleus Eridanus Fornax Gemini Grus Hercules Horologium Hydra Hydrus Indus Lacerta Leo Leo Minor Lepus Libra Lupus Lynx Lyra Mensa Microscopium Monoceros Musca Norma Octans Ophiuchus Orion Pavo Pegasus Perseus Phoenix Pictor Pisces Piscis Austrinus Puppis Pyxis Reticulum Sagitta Sagittarius Scorpius Sculptor Scutum Serpens Sextans Taurus Telescopium Triangulum Triangulum Australe Tucana Ursa Major Ursa Minor Vela Virgo Volans Vulpecula Lists of constellations Constellation history The 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy after 150 AD Andromeda Aquarius Aquila Ara Argo Navis Aries Auriga Boötes Cancer Canis Major Canis Minor Capricornus Cassiopeia Centaurus Cepheus Cetus Corona Australis Corona Borealis Corvus Crater Cygnus Delphinus Draco Equuleus Eridanus Gemini Hercules Hydra Leo Lepus Libra Lupus Lyra Ophiuchus Orion Pegasus Perseus Pisces Piscis Austrinus Sagitta Sagittarius Scorpius Serpens Taurus Triangulum Ursa Major Ursa Minor Virgo The 41 additional constellations added in the 16th and 17th centuries Vespucci or Corsalius early 16c : Crux Triangulum Australe Vopel 1536 : Coma Berenices Keyser & de Houtman 1596 : Apus Chamaeleon Dorado Grus Hydrus Indus Musca Pavo Phoenix Tucana Volans Plancius 1613 : Camelopardalis Columba Monoceros Habrecht 1621 : Reticulum Hevelius 1683 : Canes Venatici Lacerta Leo Minor Lynx Scutum Sextans Vulpecula de Lacaille 1763 : Antlia Caelum Carina Circinus Fornax Horologium Mensa Microscopium Norma Octans Pictor Puppis Pyxis Sculptor Telescopium Vela Obsolete constellations ( including Ptolemy 's Argo Navis ) Anser Antinous Apes Argo Navis Asterion Cancer Minor Cerberus Chara Custos Messium Felis Frederici Honores / Gloria Frederici Gallus Globus Aerostaticus Jordanus Lilium Lochium Funis Machina Electrica Malus Mons Maenalus Musca Borealis Noctua Officina Typographica Polophylax Psalterium Georgianum / Harpa Georgii Quadrans Muralis Ramus Pomifer Robur Carolinum Sceptrum Brandenburgicum Sceptrum et Manus Iustitiae Solarium Rangifer / Tarandus Taurus Poniatovii Telescopium Herschelii Testudo Tigris Triangulum Minus Turdus Solitarius Vespa Vultur cadens Vultur volans obsolete constellation names Apis Phoenicopterus Serpentarius Xiphias Coordinates : 17 00 00, + 65 ° 00 ′ 00 '' LCCN : sh2014000886 GND : 7749449 - 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Question: when can draco be seen in the sky
Answer: all year from northern latitudes