Star profile

Aldhibah

Zeta Draco · Draco

Hot blue star

3D likeness based on its real data · class B · ~15,000 K

What is Aldhibah

Aldhibah is a hot blue-white star in Draco, 328 light-years away, part of the serpentine body that winds between the two Bears. Its name comes from the Arabic «al-dhiʾbān», the wolves —medieval astronomers saw the pair watching over a nearby herd of stellar gazelles. Its light burns far more fiercely than the Sun's, and when you catch it, it will have spent nearly four centuries crossing the void.

Where it is and when to see it

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

From London it never sets and culminates about 76° up.
From New York it never sets and culminates about 65° up.
From Sydney it never rises above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 24° S.

It ranks no. 5 in brightness among the 122 stars of Draco in our catalogue. To find it, start from Eltanin, the brightest: it lies about 15° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 330 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Aldhibah

Constellation: Draco
Apparent magnitude: 3.17
Distance: 328.5 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 257.197° · Dec 65.715°
Catalogue: HIP 83895 · HD 155763

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