Draco the Dragon Constellation

constellation · northern sky · ancient astronomy

Dragon in the sky. Draco is a constellation named after a dragon, and its name comes from Latin. Ancient people thousands of years ago named this pattern of stars because it looked like a dragon coiling through the night sky.

Super old discovery. Draco is one of the 48 constellations that the Greek astronomer Ptolemy listed way back in the 2nd century. It's so famous that it's still one of the 88 constellations we recognize today.

Never disappears. If you live in northern places, Draco is circumpolar, which means it never sets below the horizon. You can see it any time of year, night after night, spinning around the North Star.

Holds the pole. The north pole of the ecliptic, which is an imaginary line in space, is located right in the constellation Draco. This makes Draco a special landmark in the sky.