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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
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
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All Constellations » Draco » 

ρ Draconis (rho Draconis)

Altitude: 64.9°   Azimuth: 325.6°   Direction: North-West

ρ Draconis is a multiple giant star in the constellation of Draco.

ρ Draconis visual magnitude is 4.51. Because of its moderate brightness, ρ Draconis should be easily visible from locations with dark skies, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skies affected by light pollution.

The proper motion of ρ Draconis is 0.016 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.046 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of ρ Draconis (rho Draconis) star
DSS2 image of ρ Draconis. The red arrow shows the motion of ρ Draconis during the next 10000 years (2.67 arcmin in Right Ascension and 7.67 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about ρ Draconis

4.51
Giant

ρ Draconis (rho Draconis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 64.9°
Azimuth: 325.6°
Direction: North-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of ρ Draconis

ρ Draconis is situated close to the northern celestial pole and, as such, it is visible for most part of the year from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of ρ Draconis are provided in the following table:

20h 02m 49s
+67° 52’ 24”
100.7°
18.64°
Draco

The simplified sky map below shows the position of ρ Draconis in the sky:

Finder chart ρ Draconis (rho Draconis) star
Simplified finder chart for ρ Draconis (rho Draconis).

Visibility of ρ Draconis from your location

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

ρ Draconis (rho Draconis) is circumpolar and transits at 08:13 UTC (altitude: 73.6°)

Distance of ρ Draconis from the Sun and relative movement

ρ Draconis is distant 406.48 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 9 kilometers per second.

124.69 pc
406.48 ly
-9 km/s
0.016 arcsec/year
0.046 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of ρ Draconis

ρ Draconis belongs to spectral class K3 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

-0.97
K3III
4086K

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

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

ρ Draconis star system properties

ρ Draconis 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 ρ Draconis double sysyem:

4.51
13.11
8.6
124 arcsec

Alternative designations of ρ Draconis

ρ Draconis
(rho Draconis)
67 Draconis
SAO18676
SAO18676