Star profile

Thuban

Alpha Draco · Draco

3D likeness based on its real data · class A · ~8,500 K

What is Thuban

Thuban was the pole star of the ancient Egyptians. Some five thousand years ago, when the pyramids of Giza were rising from the desert, it marked the celestial north — and the inner corridors of the Great Pyramid seem to point exactly toward it. A white A-class star about 303 light-years away, set in the sinuous body of Draco, its light — modest to the modern eye — has been crossing space since Bach was composing cantatas in Leipzig.

Where it is and when to see it

Thuban 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 77° up.
From New York it never sets and culminates about 66° up.
From Sydney it never rises above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 26° S.

It ranks no. 8 in brightness among the 122 stars of Draco in our catalogue. To find it, start from Eltanin, the brightest: it lies about 32° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 300 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Thuban

Constellation: Draco
Apparent magnitude: 3.67
Distance: 303.2 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 211.097° · Dec 64.376°
Catalogue: HIP 68756 · HD 123299

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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