The Constellation Series: Constellation Draco
Draco (The Dragon)
Draco (The Dragon)
For
thousands of years, the stars and constellations have guided seafaring vessels,
predicted shifting seasons, and personified human distinctiveness and
connotations. We have and still do look to the heavens for comfort, answers and
dreams. The study of constellations, stars and nebulas are fascinating and mysterious.
Since the dawn of man, the stars themselves have given birth to theories about
the universe, God, astronomy and man's purpose on Earth. Some believe
constellations may provide knowledge for man to use during life. The mystical
and supernatural denotations the stars give has been an insurmountable gift to
humanity. No matter what school of thought that one may hold true, the sky
embodies a magnificent mess of theories, questions and answers. Below are
listings of just a few constellations and nebulae.
Constellation Draco
It means "Dragon" in Latin
Position: Northern Sky, near 18 hours right ascension and 70 degrees in declination.
Draco dates back to the time of the Babylonians, which lived from around 1830 BC to 1531 BC. and is ingrained in Greek Mythology. The depiction of the constellation Draco is thought to be either indicative of the God Zeus' flight from his father, Cronus. Another depiction is that of a dragon that protected and guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides. The constellation lends its name to the 1996 film Dragonheart. Draco is in reality a "dragon heaven", the dragon afterlife. Like a dragon Valhalla, if the creature had been a force that protected mankind and lived valiantly, he or she would go to this "heaven". Should the dragon fail in his mission and oath to humanity, he or she would simply cease to exist upon death. Cool, huh?
It's brightest second-magnitude star, a orange giant star of magnitude 2.2, 148 light-years from Earth is called Etamin (Gamma (ã) Draconis), meaning "Dragon's Head"). Factoid about the North Star: In 7500 AD, the North Star will be Alpha (á) Cephei in the constellation Cepheus. In 15,000 AD, the North Star will be Vega in the Constellation Lyra. Draco was one of the 48 constellations classified by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and is one of the 88 modern constellations today. It's northern pole star, Thuban (α Draconis), was in this position from 3942 BC until 1793 BC. when it shifted to a position farther north than Theta Boötis.
It was so important to ancient peoples that the Egyptian Pyramids were built to have one side facing north, with a front entrance calculated so that Thuban could be seen at night. In 24,000 AD Polaris will once again take its rightful place as the northern pole star.
Contained in Draco is the Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543), a planetary nebula approximately 3,000 light-years away from Earth. This powerhouse is a shockingly bright 9th magnitude star and was dubbed so due to its facade as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. Aptly named, it looks like a slightly out of focus blue-green disk.
In addition, Angkor temples are arranged to imitate constellation blueprints of Draco.
Constellation Draco
It means "Dragon" in Latin
Position: Northern Sky, near 18 hours right ascension and 70 degrees in declination.
Draco dates back to the time of the Babylonians, which lived from around 1830 BC to 1531 BC. and is ingrained in Greek Mythology. The depiction of the constellation Draco is thought to be either indicative of the God Zeus' flight from his father, Cronus. Another depiction is that of a dragon that protected and guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides. The constellation lends its name to the 1996 film Dragonheart. Draco is in reality a "dragon heaven", the dragon afterlife. Like a dragon Valhalla, if the creature had been a force that protected mankind and lived valiantly, he or she would go to this "heaven". Should the dragon fail in his mission and oath to humanity, he or she would simply cease to exist upon death. Cool, huh?
It's brightest second-magnitude star, a orange giant star of magnitude 2.2, 148 light-years from Earth is called Etamin (Gamma (ã) Draconis), meaning "Dragon's Head"). Factoid about the North Star: In 7500 AD, the North Star will be Alpha (á) Cephei in the constellation Cepheus. In 15,000 AD, the North Star will be Vega in the Constellation Lyra. Draco was one of the 48 constellations classified by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and is one of the 88 modern constellations today. It's northern pole star, Thuban (α Draconis), was in this position from 3942 BC until 1793 BC. when it shifted to a position farther north than Theta Boötis.
It was so important to ancient peoples that the Egyptian Pyramids were built to have one side facing north, with a front entrance calculated so that Thuban could be seen at night. In 24,000 AD Polaris will once again take its rightful place as the northern pole star.
Contained in Draco is the Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543), a planetary nebula approximately 3,000 light-years away from Earth. This powerhouse is a shockingly bright 9th magnitude star and was dubbed so due to its facade as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. Aptly named, it looks like a slightly out of focus blue-green disk.
In addition, Angkor temples are arranged to imitate constellation blueprints of Draco.
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