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Star profile

Theta Draco

3D likeness based on its real data · class F · ~6,500 K

What is Theta Draco

Theta Draconis is a tight spectroscopic binary: two stars chasing each other every 3.07 days, far too close ever to be teased apart by eye. Its double nature was discovered by W. W. Campbell in 1899, and the first orbit published by H. D. Curtis in 1907 still anchors what we know today. At 69 light-years its yellow-white glow shines quietly in the body of the Dragon.

Where it is and when to see it

Theta 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 April, when it culminates around midnight.

  • From London it never sets and culminates about 83° up.
  • From New York it never sets and culminates about 72° up.
  • From Sydney it never rises above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 31° S.

It ranks no. 13 in brightness among the 122 stars of Draco in our catalogue. To find it, start from Eltanin, the brightest: it lies about 18° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 69 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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Leave your signature on Theta Draco

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Write my signature

A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.

Astronomical data for Theta Draco

Constellation
Draco
Apparent magnitude
4.01
Distance
68.6 light years
Coordinates (J2000)
RA 240.473° · Dec 58.565°
Catalogue
HIP 78527 · HD 144284

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Draco

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

See all 122 stars in Draco