Draco (Constellation)

A visualization of the draco constellation in the from of dragon circling along the North Celestial Pole. Urania's Mirror, London 1825

The Draco constellation is a circumpolar constellation found in the northern celestial hemisphere. It was first documented by the Ancient Greeks and is known for being a practically large constellation, the 6th largest out of all constellations, and holds several famous celestial bodies such as the Cat's Eye Nebula, the Spindle Galaxy, and the Tadpole Galaxy. Most relevant for this wiki however is the constellation's similarity to a serpent or dragon in shape as seen by the ancient Greeks which would be reflected in mythology and artistic mediums since.

Etymology

The word Draco (pronounced as /ˈdreɪkoʊ/) comes from Latin draco ("huge serpent, dragon"), and in English can be translated as "the Dragon". The naming of the constellation was first attested in Greco-Roman astronomer Ptolemy's Almagest during the 2nd century and in Ancient Greek can be read as Δράκων or "Drakon". The genitive wording for Draco used in star names in the constellation is Draconis (pronounced as /drəˈkoʊnɪs/). The International Astronomical Union, which uses three letter abbreviations to describe constellations, adopted the abbreviation Dra for the Draco constellation in 1922.

Features

Star chart of Draco showcasing its stars and placement amongst the other constellations.

The Draco constellation, despite being particularly big, is not particularly prominent in the night sky. The brightest star in the constellation is second-magnitude Gamma Draconis (formally named Eltanin, from Arabic al-tannin or "the serpent"), Ptolemy claiming that the star resided on top of the dragon's head. Two other prominent stars are Alpha Draconis, which resides in the dragon's body between the tail of Ursa Major and the head of Ursa Minor, and Beta Draconis, which resides near the dragon's eye. The two stars were called Thuban and Rastaban respectively, which are both corrupted forms of Arabic ra's al-tinnin ("the serpent's head") of which only the latter makes sense in accordance with the constellation's shape. Interestingly, Alpha Draconis was positioned in the night sky as the North Pole star rather than Polaris during the times of the ancient Greeks, signifying the star could've had a different connotation and perhaps reverence for it then seen in modern times.

Greco-Roman Sources

The Garden of Hesperides of which Ladon resided.. Edward Burne-Jones, 1880-1881

In ancient Greek mythology, Draco was the dragon Ladon of whom was slain by Heracles during his completion of his Tenth Labour. Ladon was the sole guardian of the Golden Apples of Hesperides, a sacred food source of which was a wedding gift from Zeus to his wife Hera of whom the goddess highly prizes. For his Tenth Labor, Heracles was tasked to retrieve one of these apples, and in some versions of the myth when he slew the Ladon it in order to complete his Labour. Although descriptions of the dragon varied, Ladon was single headed in the constellation with one foot of Heracles's (represented by the neighboring constellation Hercules) pinned on the dragon's head. Another possible mythological dragon that could've been seen as the Draco Constellation was Typhon.

Oriental Sources

In Arabic astronomy, the four stars Beta, Gamma, Nu, and Xi Draconis, which in Western accounts are thought to compose the dragon's head, are regarded as four mother camels or al-‘awā’idh. At the center of the four stars is a 6th magnitude star not attested by Ptolemy which the Arabians saw as a baby camel called al-ruba (now written as Aruba), which the mother camels protect from two hyenas represented by the Nu and Zeta Draconis stars. Nearby in the visualization of the constellation is a nomad camp with a cooking trio being represented by the Gamma, Tau, and Alpha Draconis stars.

In Chinese astronomy, the stars and constellations are seen as celestial representations of the emperor and his palace, with the Draco constellation being close and within where the astronomers associated with the walls of the palace. Stars or star collections in the Draco constellation that represented specific aspects within the emperor's palace includes the following.

• "Celestial pillars", which could be the pillars that hold up the sky or where governmental orders were posted. (Tianzu stars),
• The emperor's concubines (Nüyu stars)
• The palace's Nüshi, or attendant that managed the water clocks in the palace (Psi Draconis star)
• The palaces Zhuxiashi, or official scribe of the emperor (Possibly either Phi or Chi Draconis star)
• The emperor's secretaries (possibly Omega, 27, 19, 18, and 15 Draconis stars)
• The Neichu, or the Emperor and his family's private kitchen (Plough, 7, and 8 Draconis stars)
• A second kitchen (Delta, Sigma, Episolon, Rho, 64, and Pi Draconis stars)
• A Fukuang, or a basket containing mullberry to feed silkworms. (39, 45, 46, Omicron, 48, 49, and 51 Draconis stars)
• A Tianpei, which could either be the emperor's advanced guard or a flail for fresh grain (Beta, Gamma, Nu, and Xi Draconis stars)

In Popular Culture

• Draco from the first Dragonheart film likely got his name from the constellation. This is implied with his spiritual essence returning to the stars after his death.