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How to View Draco

The constellation Draco, visible throughout the year, is one of the circumpolar constellations, which rotate around Polaris. It looks like a Dragon and contains a star special to the Egyptians. Along the Dragon's tail, you'll see a star called Thuban, which was the "North Star" when the pyramids were built.

Instructions

- 1
  Print a free star map to help you find Draco. The constellation is visible all year but it dips slightly below the horizon depending on the time of night. Good times to view the constellation vary based on the day of the year. Draco is best viewed when near Polaris high in the sky.
- 2
  Find the Little Dipper. Draco's dragon tail bends around the dipper. If you have trouble finding the Little Dipper, search for the Big Dipper first. The Little Dipper is nearby in the sky.
- 3
  Locate the bowl of the Little Dipper. Following the lines on your constellation map, look for the tail of the dragon. Draco's tail is opposite the Little Dipper's handle. The tail goes up one side of the bowl and back down the other.
- 4
  Search for Draco's head. Picture the Little Dipper standing up on its handle. The neck of the dragon extends upward along the right side of Polaris and leads to four stars. Those stars make a trapezoid known as the dragon's head.
- 5
  Use your star chart and locate the star Ettanin within the head of the dragon. This is the brightest star in Draco. Its name has many alternate spellings, so look for something similar on your map. Ettanin is sometimes called the "Zenith star," because it appears to pass through the zenith as seen from Greenwich, England.
- 6
  Observe the second to last star in Draco's tail. This is Thuban, the Egyptian North Star. Because the Earth is constantly moving on its axis, the pole star changes over long periods of time. We are fortunate to live in a time when there is a north star at all. Polaris won't hold the title forever.

Astronomy