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[[File:375px-Draco IAU.svg.png|thumb|Draco]] | [[File:375px-Draco IAU.svg.png|thumb|Draco]] | ||
[[Draco]] is a constellation in the far northern sky. Its name is Latin for dragon. Draco is circumpolar (that is, never setting) for many observers in the northern hemisphere. It was one of the 48 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 can be seen all year from northern latitudes. | [[Draco]] is a constellation in the far northern sky. Its name is Latin for dragon. Draco is circumpolar (that is, never setting) for many observers in the northern hemisphere. It was one of the 48 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 can be seen all year from northern latitudes. | ||
One of the deep-sky objects in Draco is the Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543), a planetary nebula approximately 3,000 light-years away that was discovered by English astronomer William Herschel in 1786.There are several faint galaxies in Draco, one of which is the lenticular galaxy NGC 5866, sometimes considered to be [[Messier 102]]. Another is the Draco Dwarf Galaxy, one of the least luminous galaxies with an absolute magnitude of −8.6 and a diameter of only about 3,500 light years, discovered by Albert G. Wilson of Lowell Observatory in 1954. | One of the deep-sky objects in Draco is the Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543), a planetary nebula approximately 3,000 light-years away that was discovered by English astronomer William Herschel in 1786.There are several faint galaxies in Draco, one of which is the lenticular galaxy NGC 5866, sometimes considered to be [[Messier 102]]. Another is the Draco Dwarf Galaxy, one of the least luminous galaxies with an absolute magnitude of −8.6 and a diameter of only about 3,500 light years, discovered by Albert G. Wilson of Lowell Observatory in 1954. | ||
The Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall, the largest known structure in the universe, covers a part of the southern region of Draco. | The Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall, the largest known structure in the universe, covers a part of the southern region of Draco.<ref>[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_(constellation)]]</ref> | ||
==Mythology== | ==Mythology== | ||