1.3 KiB
| name | created_by | created_date | updated_by | updated_date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draco | skybber | 2022-02-04 20:42:28.219953 | skybber | 2022-02-04 20:43:12.712838 |
A large, but not the brightest constellation in the North Pole region, which we can admire in our sky every clear night because it never sets. It is composed mostly of medium bright and fainter stars that form an almost semicircle around Polaris. The head of Draco is made up of the stars γ (Etamine), β (Alwaid), ξ and ν Draconis and is a rather striking star pattern, from which the bright Vega from the constellation Lyra shines not far away. The body is spread between two celestial bears. The brightest star, Thuban, Polaris at the time of the building of the pyramids, lies at the centre of the conjunction of the stars Kochab of the Little Bear and Mizar of the Big Bear. The dragon is the eighth largest constellation, and despite lying further away from the Milky Way, it hides many deepsky objects. They are mostly faint galaxies, many of interesting appearance, but there are also some nice binaries that can be resolved with a trier or small telescope. In Draco, we also find the extremely bright planetary nebula NGC 6543, known as the Cat's Eye. Not far from it lies the north pole of the ecliptic.
