Star profile

6 Draco

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is 6 Draco

6 Draconis hides a double life. What looks like a single orange star is in fact a binary: the primary is a K2.5 III giant deficient in iron, with a radius thirty-six times the Sun's and six hundred times its luminosity; the companion, likely an A-type main-sequence star, completes its orbit in a year and a half. The iron underabundance in its spectrum is a chemical signature that sets it apart among Draco's evolved giants.

Where it is and when to see it

6 Draco lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is February, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it never sets and culminates about 71° up.
From New York it never sets and culminates about 61° up.
From Sydney it never rises above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 20° S.

It ranks no. 36 in brightness among the 122 stars of Draco in our catalogue. To find it, start from Eltanin, the brightest: it lies about 40° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 600 years ago.

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Astronomical data for 6 Draco

Constellation: Draco
Apparent magnitude: 4.95
Distance: 601.8 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 188.684° · Dec 70.022°
Catalogue: HIP 61384 · HD 109551

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Other stars in Draco

Draco has 122 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 122 stars in Draco