Draco (constellation)

Draco

Constellation
List of stars in Draco
Abbreviation	Dra
Genitive	Draconis
Pronunciation	/ˈdreɪkoʊ/, genitive /drəˈkoʊnɨs/
Symbolism	the Dragon
Right ascension	17 h
Declination	+65°
Quadrant	NQ3
Area	1083 sq. deg. (8th)
Main stars	14
Bayer/Flamsteed stars	76
Stars with planets	9
Stars brighter than 3.00m	3
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly)	7
Brightest star	γ Dra (Eltanin) (2.24m)
Nearest star	Struve 2398 (11.52 ly, 3.53 pc)
Messier objects	1
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. Draco is circumpolar (that is, never setting) for many observers in the northern hemisphere. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations today.

Notable features

Stars

Main article: List of stars in Draco

Eltanin (Gamma Draconis) is the brightest star in Draco, with an apparent magnitude of 2.24.

The constellation contains the star recently named Kepler-10 which has been confirmed to be orbited by Kepler-10b, the smallest ever rocky Earth-sized planet detected outside of our solar system.

The star Thuban (α Draconis) was the northern pole star around 2700 BC, during the time of the ancient Egyptians. Due to the effects of precession, it will once again be the pole star around the year 21000 AD.

Deep-sky objects

One of the deep-sky objects in Draco is the Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543), a planetary nebula that is said to look like a blue disc. There are several faint galaxies in Draco, one of which is the lenticular galaxy NGC 5866, sometimes considered to be Messier Object 102. 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.

PGC 39058, a dwarf galaxy - picture taken by ESA/Hubble & NASA.

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^{[citation needed]} the constellation's name include Ladon, the dragon who guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides; the dragon killed by Cadmus before founding the city of Thebes, Greece; and the dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece and was killed by Jason. (see Argonautica)

In Roman legend, Draco was a dragon killed by the goddess Minerva and tossed into the sky upon his defeat.^{[citation needed]}

Religion

Early Christians^{[citation needed]} saw Draco as the serpent who tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. (See Book of Genesis chapter 3)

Equivalents

The Arabs did not interpret the constellation as a dragon, seeing instead an asterism called the Mother Camels.^{[citation needed]}

In Chinese astronomy, the stars of Draco are located in two areas: the Purple Forbidden enclosure (紫微垣, Zǐ Wēi Yuán) and the Black Tortoise of the North (北方玄武, Běi Fāng Xuán Wǔ). A region at the curve of the Dragon's tail is called "Tien Choo" or "Heaven's Kitchen".^{[citation needed]}

Namesakes

USS Draco (AK-79) was a United States Navy Crater class cargo ship named after the constellation.

References

• Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0691135564.
• موسوعة اسماء النجوم عند العرب في الفلك القديم والحديث - د. عبد الرحيم بدر - 1998

External links

• The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Draco
• Star Tales – Draco myj dfui asgi dvnasuiodgxfcui aw9s0er789dxufc80ds=0x
• [http://www.starryskies.com/The_sky/constellations/draco.html