Draco (constellation) facts for kids
| Constellation | |
List of stars in Draco
|
|
| Abbreviation | Dra |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Draconis |
| Pronunciation |
|
| 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 3.00m | 3 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 7 |
| Brightest star | γ Dra (Eltanin) (2.24m) |
| Messier objects | 1 |
| Meteor showers | Draconids |
| Bordering constellations |
|
| Visible at latitudes between +90° and −15°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of July. |
|
Draco is a large constellation in the northern sky. Its name means "the Dragon" in Latin. This constellation looks like a winding dragon. It coils around the north celestial pole, which is the point in the sky directly above Earth's North Pole.
Draco is the eighth largest constellation in the sky. It covers a huge area of 1083 square degrees. You can see it best in July.
Contents
Finding Draco in the Sky
Draco is easy to find because it wraps around the Ursa Minor constellation, which contains the North Star (Polaris). It looks like a long, winding river of stars.
Neighboring Constellations
Draco is surrounded by several other well-known constellations. These include:
- Boötes (the Herdsman)
- Hercules (the Hero)
- Lyra (the Lyre)
- Cygnus (the Swan)
- Cepheus (the King)
- Ursa Minor (the Little Bear)
- Camelopardalis (the Giraffe)
- Ursa Major (the Great Bear)
Stars of Draco
Draco has many stars, but only a few are very bright.
Eltanin: Draco's Brightest Star
The brightest star in Draco is called Gamma Draconis, also known as Eltanin. It is a giant orange star. Eltanin is about 154 light-years away from Earth.
Other Notable Stars
- Struve 2398 is one of the closest stars to Earth in Draco. It is a binary star system, meaning it has two stars orbiting each other. It is about 11.5 light-years away.
Cool Objects in Draco
Draco is home to some interesting deep-sky objects. These are objects outside our solar system, like galaxies and nebulae.
Galaxies in Draco
- NGC 5907 is a spiral galaxy. It is sometimes called the "Splinter Galaxy" because of its thin, edge-on appearance.
- NGC 6503 is another spiral galaxy. It is known as the "Lost-in-Space Galaxy" because it appears quite isolated in space.
- Tadpole galaxy (also known as Arp 188) is a famous spiral galaxy. It has a long "tail" of stars, about 280,000 light-years long. This tail was likely formed by a smaller galaxy passing by.
Nebulae in Draco
- NGC 6543 is a beautiful planetary nebula. It is often called the "Cat's Eye Nebula." It has a very complex and colorful structure. This nebula was formed when a star like our Sun ran out of fuel and shed its outer layers.
Draconids Meteor Shower
Draco is also the source of the Draconids meteor shower. This shower happens every year in early October. It is caused by Earth passing through dust left behind by a comet called 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. Sometimes, the Draconids can produce many meteors, making for a spectacular show!
Myths and Legends
In Greek mythology, Draco is often linked to the dragon Ladon. Ladon was a dragon with a hundred heads. He guarded the golden apples in the Garden of the Hesperides. Hercules had to slay Ladon as one of his twelve labors. The goddess Hera then placed Ladon in the sky as the constellation Draco.
Images for kids
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Draco coils around the north celestial pole, as depicted in Urania's Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825
See also
In Spanish: Draco (constelación) para niños
