Star profile
Nu 2 Draco
What is Nu 2 Draco
Nu-2 Draconis forms, together with its twin Nu-1, one of the most famous double stars of the northern sky, separable even with decent binoculars within the body of the Dragon. It lies 99 light-years away and is itself a spectroscopic binary on a 38-day orbit, with two chemically peculiar Am stars. Arab astronomers counted it among the Mother Camels. The visual pair is not gravitationally bound: they travel together because they share an origin.
Where it is and when to see it
Nu 2 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. 30 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 100 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Leave your signature on Nu 2 Draco
Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works
We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.
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 2 Draco
- Constellation
- Draco
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.86
- Distance
- 99.5 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 263.067° · Dec 55.173°
- Catalogue
- HIP 85829 · HD 159560
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.
- EltaninGamma Draco2.24
- AthebyneEta Draco2.73
- RastabanBeta Draco2.79
- 18 Draco4.84
- HIP 820204.84
- HIP 518084.86
- 19 Draco4.88
- Nu 1 Draco4.89