Young Observers

May Constellation: Draco  (The Dragon)

This constellation has been seen as a snake, a hippopotamus, a crocodile and an alligator in ancient mythology. It is now known as a dragon.

One Greek story of Draco was of a dragon who was on the side of the Titans in a war against the Olympians. After ten years of fighting, Athena, the goddess of war, faced Draco in battle. She caught the dragon by it's tail and swung it into the sky where it got twisted up and tangled around the North Star. The air was so cold there that the dragon froze in this twisted circumpolar position.

Draco can be seen all year round in the northern hemisphere. The dragon's tail winds around the Big and Little Dippers. The dragon's head (4 stars,sometimes known as the Lozenge) is the easiest to see.

The last star at the end of the tail is Thuban, which used to be the North Star thousands of years ago.

This page last modified: May 1, 2000