Star profile
Nu 1 Draco
What is Nu 1 Draco
Nu-1 Draconis pairs with Nu-2 in one of the northern sky's most celebrated visual doubles, known as Kuma —two near-twin stars separated by barely a minute of arc, splittable in the smallest binoculars. At 99 light-years, it is a white A-type star, and together with its partner it marks one of the corners of the rectangle that forms the head of the celestial Dragon.
Where it is and when to see it
Nu 1 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 June, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never sets and culminates about 86° up.
- From New York it never sets and culminates about 76° up.
- From Sydney it culminates about 1° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 35° S.
It ranks no. 32 in brightness among the 122 stars of Draco in our catalogue. To find it, start from Eltanin, the brightest: it lies about 5° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 99 years ago.
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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 Nu 1 Draco
- Constellation
- Draco
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.89
- Distance
- 98.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 263.044° · Dec 55.184°
- Catalogue
- HIP 85819 · HD 159541
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Other stars in Draco
Draco has 122 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- EltaninGamma Draco2.24
- AthebyneEta Draco2.73
- RastabanBeta Draco2.79
- HIP 518084.86
- Nu 2 Draco4.86
- 19 Draco4.88
- Mu Draco4.91
- HIP 926894.92