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A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:50  
clear_day Transit: 11:50  
SunsetSet: 15:49 south
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All Constellations » Draco » 

Grumium - ξ Draconis (xi Draconis)

Altitude: 36.7°   Azimuth: 317.8°   Direction: North-West

Grumium, also designated as ξ Draconis (xi Draconis), is a double giant star in the constellation of Draco.

Grumium visual magnitude is 3.75. Because of its moderate brightness, Grumium should be easily visible from locations with dark skyes, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about Grumium:

3.75
Giant

Grumium - ξ Draconis (xi Draconis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 36.7°
Azimuth: 317.8°
Direction: North-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Grumium

Grumium is situated north of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of Grumium are provided in the following table:

17h 53m 31s
+56° 52’ 22”
85.17°
30.23°
Draco

The simplified sky map below shows the position of Grumium in the sky:

Finder chart Grumium - ξ Draconis (xi Draconis) star
Simplified finder chart for Grumium - ξ Draconis (xi Draconis).

Visibility of Grumium from your location

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Grumium - ξ Draconis (xi Draconis) is circumpolar and transits at 12:45 UTC (altitude: 84.6°)

Digitized Sky Survey image of Grumium

The image below is a photograph of Grumium from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins). The proper motion of Grumium is 0.094 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.08 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Grumium - ξ Draconis (xi Draconis) star
DSS2 image of Grumium. The red arrow shows the motion of Grumium during the next 1000 years (1.57 arcmin in Right Ascension and 1.33 arcmin in declination);

Distance of Grumium from the Sun and relative movement

Grumium is distant 111.41 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 26 kilometers per second.

34.18 pc
111.41 ly
-26 km/s
0.094 arcsec/year
0.08 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Grumium

Grumium belongs to spectral class K2 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

1.08
K2III
4348K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where Grumium is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of Grumium. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Grumium star system properties

Grumium is a visual double star which can be observed only with the help of very large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the Grumium double sysyem:

3.75
14.85
11.1
316 arcsec

Alternative designations of Grumium

Grumium
ξ Draconis
(xi Draconis)
32 Draconis
SAO30631
SAO30631