Draco: The Dragon
Pronunciation: DRAY-coDraco Constellation Profile | |
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Abbreviation: Dra | Genitive: Draconis |
Origin: Ancient | Location: Northern Hemisphere |
Best View (North): Spring | Best View (South): |
Bordering Constellations: Ursa Minor, Camelopardalis, Ursa Major, Bootes, Hercules, Lyra, Cygnus, Cepheus |
The Myth Behind the Constellation Draco
Draco, “The Dragon” has been said to represent a number of scaly beasts. Most frequently he is considered to be Ladon, the dragon that guarded the tree that was the goal of Hercules’ eleventh labor. This tree produced golden apples and had been given to Hera as a wedding gift. Hercules’ labor was to bring some of the fruit back to King Eurystheus. In one version of the story Hercules uses one of his poison arrows to defeat the dragon.Draco Constellation Points of Interest
Interesting stars and objects.Bright Stars in Draco
These are the stars in Draco with a minimum magnitude of 3.0.Name | Bayer Name | Magnitude | Color | Luminosity | Distance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eltamin | Gamma Draconis | 2.24 | Orange | 471 suns | 148 ly |
Aldibain | Eta Draconis | 2.73 | Orange | 60 suns | 88 ly |
Rastaban | Beta Draconis | 2.79 | Yellow | 1,183 suns | 361 ly |