![]() Some scholars have theorized that the Egyptians built a number of their great pyramids with openings that aligned with the constellation’s principal stars, but modern studies have not been able to prove this.ĭraco is connected with two stories in Greek mythology. The Egyptians pictured Draco as either a hippopotamus or a crocodile, and ancient texts suggest that they also associated the stars with their goddess Isis. Marduk cut the monster into two pieces, one of which became Draco and the other Hydra (the Water Snake). To the Sumerians, who lived in what is now Iraq from about 3500 bc to about 2000 bc, Draco may have represented the she-monster Tiamat, who was defeated by the Sumerians’ chief god Marduk in a great battle in the sky. In addition, historical records suggest that Thuban was once significantly brighter than it is today, visible even in daytime. However, because of the phenomenon known as precession of the equinoxes-a slow change in the alignment of the Earth’s axis in respect to the stars-Thuban is now located about 30 degrees from the present pole star, Polaris. As such, many ancient peoples regarded the constellation as the symbol of eternity. At this position, Draco was seen as the center around which the heavens rotated. In about 2800 bc, one of Draco’s stars, Thuban (Alpha Draconis), was the pole star. ![]() In mid-July, Draco reaches its highest point in the sky in the mid-northern latitudes at 10:00 pm. The rest of the constellation winds around the north celestial pole. This group of stars is often called the Lozenge. Although Draco contains no particularly prominent stars, it is one of the most ancient constellations and held great significance for a number of ancient peoples.Ī ring of four stars northwest of the bright star Vega in Lyra and due west of the bright star Deneb in Cygnus represents Draco’s head. Draco is the ninth largest constellation, occupying 1,083 square degrees. Draco, Latin for “dragon,” is a circumpolar constellation-that is, it lies near the north celestial pole, and at most latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, it never sets. Iin astronomy, Draco is a constellation of the Northern Hemisphere.
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