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Alpha Draconis
Thuban (), with Bayer designation Alpha Draconis or α Draconis, is a binary star system in the northern constellation of Draco. A relatively inconspicuous star in the night sky of the Northern Hemisphere, it is historically significant as having been the north pole star from the 4th to 2nd millennium BC. Johann Bayer gave Thuban the designation Alpha and placed it as the only member of his ''secundae'' magnitude class in Draco, although its current apparent magnitude of 3.65 means it is 3.7 times fainter than the brightest star in the constellation, Gamma Draconis (Eltanin), which Bayer placed in his ''tertiae'' magnitude class although its current apparent magnitude is 2.24. Nomenclature ''α Draconis'' ( Latinised to ''Alpha Draconis'') is the star's Bayer designation. The traditional name ''Thuban'' is derived from the Arabic word ' ('large snake' (e.g. a python or a legendary draconian serpent)). It is sometimes known as the ''Dragon's Tail'' and as ''Adib'' . In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Draco (constellation)
Draco is a constellation in the far northern sky. Its name is Latin for dragon. It was one of the 48 Lists of constellations, constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. The north pole of the ecliptic is in Draco. Draco is circumpolar star, circumpolar from northern latitudes. There it is never setting and therefore can be seen all year. Features Stars Thuban (α Draconis) was the northern pole star from 3942 BC, when it moved farther north than Theta Boötis, until 1793 BC. The Egyptian Pyramids were designed to have one side facing north, with an entrance passage geometrically aligned so that Thuban would be visible at night. Due to the effects of Axial precession (astronomy), precession, it would again be the pole star around the year AD 21000. It is a blue-white giant star of magnitude 3.7, 309 light-years from Earth. The traditional name of Alpha Draconis, Thuban, means "head of the serpent". T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Purple Forbidden Enclosure
The Purple Forbidden enclosure ( Zǐ wēi yuán) is one of the San Yuan ( Sān yuán) or Three Enclosures Traditional Chinese astronomy has a system of dividing the celestial sphere into asterisms or constellations, known as "officials" ( Chinese ''xīng guān''). The Chinese asterisms are generally smaller than the constellations of Hellenistic .... Stars and constellations of this group lie near the north celestial pole and are visible all year from temperate latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Asterisms The asterisms are : See also * Twenty-eight mansions References Chinese constellations Chinese astrology {{china-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Delta Ursae Majoris
Delta Ursae Majoris (δ Ursae Majoris, abbreviated Delta UMa, δ UMa), formally named Megrez , is a star in the northern constellation of Ursa Major. With an apparent magnitude of +3.3, it is the dimmest of the seven stars in the Big Dipper asterism. Parallax measurements yield a distance estimate of from the Sun. Stellar properties Delta Ursae Majoris has 63% more mass than the Sun and is about 1.4 times its radius. It has a stellar classification of A3 V, which means it is an A-type main sequence star that is generating energy at its core through the nuclear fusion of hydrogen. It shines at 14 times the luminosity of the Sun, with this energy being emitted from its outer envelope at an effective temperature of 9,480 K. This gives it the white hue typical of an A-type star. This star has an excess emission of infrared radiation, indicating the presence of circumstellar matter. This forms a debris disk around an orbital radius of 16 ast ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gamma Ursae Majoris
Gamma Ursae Majoris (γ Ursae Majoris, abbreviated Gamma UMa, γ UMa), formally named Phecda , is a star in the constellation of Ursa Major. Since 1943, the spectrum of this star has served as one of the stable anchor points by which other stars are classified. Based upon parallax measurements with the ''Hipparcos'' astrometry satellite, it is located at distance of around from the Sun. It is more familiar to most observers in the northern hemisphere as the lower-left star forming the bowl of the Big Dipper, together with Alpha Ursae Majoris (Dubhe, upper-right), Beta Ursae Majoris (Merak, lower-right) and Delta Ursae Majoris (Megrez, upper-left). Along with four other stars in this well-known asterism, Phecda forms a loose association of stars known as the Ursa Major moving group. Like the other stars in the group, it is a main sequence star, as the Sun is, although somewhat hotter, brighter and larger. Phecda is located in relatively close physical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polaris
Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that fluctuates around 1.98, it is the brightest star in the constellation and is readily visible to the naked eye at night. The position of the star lies less than 1° away from the north celestial pole, making it the current northern pole star. The stable position of the star in the Northern Sky makes it useful for navigation. As the closest Cepheid variable its distance is used as part of the cosmic distance ladder. The revised ''Hipparcos'' stellar parallax gives a distance to Polaris of about , while the successor mission ''Gaia'' gives a distance of about . Calculations by other methods vary widely. Although appearing to the naked eye as a single point of light, Polaris is a triple star system, composed of the primary, a yellow super ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ursa Major
Ursa Major (; also known as the Great Bear) is a constellation in the northern sky, whose associated mythology likely dates back into prehistory. Its Latin name means "greater (or larger) bear," referring to and contrasting it with nearby Ursa Minor, the lesser bear. In antiquity, it was one of the original 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD, drawing on earlier works by Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian, and Assyrian astronomers. Today it is the third largest of the 88 modern constellations. Ursa Major is primarily known from the asterism of its main seven stars, which has been called the "Big Dipper," "the Wagon," "Charles's Wain," or "the Plough," among other names. In particular, the Big Dipper's stellar configuration mimics the shape of the "Little Dipper." Two of its stars, named Dubhe and Merak ( α Ursae Majoris and β Ursae Majoris), can be used as the navigational pointer towards the place of the current northern pole star, Polaris in Ursa Mino ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Big Dipper
The Big Dipper ( US, Canada) or the Plough ( UK, Ireland) is a large asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them are of second magnitude and one, Megrez (δ), of third magnitude. Four define a "bowl" or "body" and three define a "handle" or "head". It is recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures. The North Star ( Polaris), the current northern pole star and the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper (Little Bear), can be located by extending an imaginary line through the front two stars of the asterism, Merak (β) and Dubhe (α). This makes it useful in celestial navigation. Names and places The constellation of ''Ursa Major'' (Latin: Greater Bear) has been seen as a bear, a wagon, or a ladle. The "bear" tradition is Indo-European (appearing in Greek, as well as in Vedic India), but apparently the name "bear" has parallels in Siberian or North American traditions. European astronomy The name "Bear" is Homeric, and appar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Star Name
Chinese star names (Chinese: , ''xīng míng'') are named according to ancient Chinese astronomy and astrology. The sky is divided into star mansions (, ''xīng xiù'', also translated as "lodges") and asterisms (, ''xīng guān''). The system of 283 asterisms under Three Enclosures and Twenty-eight Mansions was established by Chen Zhuo of the Three Kingdoms period, who synthesized ancient constellations and the asterisms created by early astronomers Shi Shen, Gan De and Wuxian. Since the Han and Jin Dynasties, stars have been given reference numbers within their asterisms in a system similar to the Bayer or Flamsteed designations, so that individual stars can be identified. For example, Deneb (α Cyg) is referred to as (''Tiān Jīn Sì'', the Fourth Star of Celestial Ford). In the Qing Dynasty, Chinese knowledge of the sky was improved by the arrival of European star charts. ''Yixiang Kaocheng'', compiled in mid-18th century by then deputy Minister of Rites Ignaz Kögler, e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BK Camelopardalis
BK Camelopardalis is a variable star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Camelopardalis, near the constellation border with Cassiopeia. It is visible to the naked eye as a faint, blue-white hued star with an apparent visual magnitude that fluctuates around 4.74. The star is located approximately 540 light years away from the Sun based on parallax. It is a proposed member of the Cassiopeia–Taurus group of co-moving stars. This is a main sequence Be star with a stellar classification of B2.5 Vne, where the 'n' suffix indicates "nebulous" (broad) lines due to rapid rotation. The presence of emission lines in the spectrum has been known since at least 1895. Spectrograms of the star have been taken since 1905, providing a long history of its cycles of variation. It ranges in brightness from a peak of 4.76 down to 4.90. BK Camelopardalis is 32 million years old and is spinning with a projected rotational velocity of 328 km/s. It has 7.5 times the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alpha Camelopardalis
Alpha Camelopardalis, Latinized from α Camelopardalis, is a star in the northern constellation of Camelopardalis. With an apparent visual magnitude of 4.3, it is the third-brightest star in this not-very-prominent circumpolar constellation; the first and second-brightest stars being Beta Camelopardalis and CS Camelopardalis, respectively. It is the farthest constellational star, with a distance of approximately 6,000 light-years from Earth based on parallax measurements. Description Alpha Camelopardalis has a stellar classification of O9 Ia, with the 'Ia' indicating that it is an O-type luminous supergiant. It is a massive star with 37.6 times the mass of the Sun and 32.5 times the Sun's radius. The effective temperature of the outer envelope is 29,000 K; much hotter than the Sun's effective temperature of 5,778 K, giving it the characteristic blue hue of an O-type star. It is emitting 676,000 times the luminosity of the Sun and is a weak X-ray emitter. Var ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
43 Camelopardalis
43 Camelopardalis is a single star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Camelopardalis, located roughly 1,060 light years away from the Sun based on parallax. It is visible to the naked eye as a faint, blue-white hued star with an apparent visual magnitude of 5.11. This object is moving closer to the Earth with a heliocentric radial velocity of −21 km/s. The stellar classification of 43 Camelopardalis is B7 III, matching that of a blue giant. It is spinning rapidly with a projected rotational velocity of 190 km/s. The star has five times the mass of the Sun and about 4.4 times the Sun's radius. It is radiating 724 times the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 13,183 K. Chinese name In Chinese, (), meaning '' Right Wall of Purple Forbidden Enclosure'', refers to an asterism consisting of 43 Camelopardalis, α Draconis, κ Draconis, λ Draconis, 24 Ursae Majoris, α Camelopardalis and BK Camelopa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
24 Ursae Majoris
24 Ursae Majoris is a variable star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Major, located 101.5 light-years from the Sun. It has the variable star designation DK Ursae Majoris and the Bayer designation d Ursae Majoris; ''24 Ursae Majoris'' is the Flamsteed designation. This object is visible to the naked eye as a faint, yellow-hued star with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.54. It is moving closer to the Earth with a heliocentric radial velocity of −27 km/s, and is expected to come as close as in around 879,000 years. Description 24 Ursae Majoris has a stellar classification of G4 III-IV, which, at the estimated age of about one billion years, matches the spectrum of an aging giant star blended with features of a subgiant luminosity class. Based upon its position on the H–R diagram, this star has just passed through the Hertzsprung gap and is ready to begin its first ascent along the red-giant branch. It is a suspected RS Canum Venati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
