Stars · Star in Draco
Star
Thuban
The pole star of the pyramid builders. Around 2700 BC it sat almost exactly at the pole of the sky.
- Constellation
- Draco
- Designation
- α Draconis
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.67 · 351st brightest star in the night sky
- Spectral class
- A0III SB
- Distance
- 303 light-years
- Position (J2000)
- RA 14h 04m · Dec +64° 23′
A white giant, around 10,000 K, like Sirius and Vega. About 14× brighter than the faintest star the eye can see. The light you are seeing left around 1723.
History
Precession has since carried the pole away to Polaris. Thuban is not the brightest star in Draco, despite being alpha.