Draco constellation
Latin Draco, genitive Draconis, abbreviation Dra
North up, east to the left, as you see the sky. The lines are a common figure; the stars are from the catalogue.
The myth
Ladon, the dragon that guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides until Heracles slew it. It winds between the two bears around the celestial pole. About 4700 years ago its star Thuban was the pole star, at the time the pyramids were being built in Egypt.
When can Draco be seen?
It stands highest around 10 pm in July. It can be seen from everywhere north of 14°S, and it never sets north of 39°N.
The brightest stars
| Star | Designation | Magnitude | Colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eltanin | γ Dra | 2.23 | reddish |
| Athebyne | η Dra | 2.74 | yellow |
| Rastaban | β Dra | 2.79 | yellow |
| Altais | δ Dra | 3.07 | orange |
| Aldhibah | ζ Dra | 3.17 | bluish |
| Edasich | ι Dra | 3.29 | orange |
| Alahakan | χ Dra | 3.57 | yellowish white |
| Thuban | α Dra | 3.65 | bluish |
The smaller the number, the brighter: below 1 are the brightest stars of the sky, 4 is hard to see under a city sky. Greek letters after Johann Bayer (1603).
Meteors
The Draconids radiate from Draco: when they fall and how to see them.