The figure in the sky: north is up, east is to the left. Larger dots are brighter stars.

Constellation

Draco

The shape: a long, winding line with a head of four stars.

The dragon Ladon guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides until Hercules defeated him – in the sky, Hercules plants his foot on the dragon's head. 5,000 years ago, when the pyramids were being built, Thuban, a star in Draco, was the pole star.

The stars of the figure

From bright to faint. Brightness is given in magnitudes (mag): the smaller the number, the brighter the star.

Eltanin · 2.24 mag
Rastaban · 2.79 mag

Shooting stars from the constellation Draco

Draconids: these shooting stars seem to come from this part of the sky. More under Meteor showers.

In the 3D model

In the 3D model, under “Explore”, the sky dome shows when the constellation Draco can be seen above Switzerland. “Constellations in 3D” shows how far apart its stars really are.

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