Thuban (α Dra / α Draconis / Alpha Draconis) is a star (or star system) in the constellation of Draco. A relatively inconspicuous star in the night sky of the Northern Hempishere, it is historically significant as having been the north pole star in ancient times. Alpha (uppercase Α, lowercase α) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. ... STAR is an acronym for: Satellite Television Asian Region, or STAR TV Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Labs, a fictional research organization in the DC Comics universe. ... Orion is a remarkable constellation, visible from most places on the globe at one time or another during the year. ... Draco (Latin for Dragon) is a far northern constellation that is circumpolar for many northern hemisphere observers. ... For other uses of the words Pole star and Polestar see Polestar (disambiguation). ...

Even though Thuban carries the Bayer designation Alpha Draconis, at apparent magnitude 3.65 it is over a magnitude fainter than the brightest star in the constellation, γ Dra (Etamin), whose apparent magnitude is 2.23. Thuban is not bright enough to be viewed from light-polluted areas. The Alpha designation is apparently due to its history as the ancient pole star. Many of the brighter stars are given names which are known as Bayer designations. ... // Headline text HEY!! HOW ARE YOU ALL?? Its nice of you to come read this page. ... Gamma Draconis (γ Dra / γ Draconis) is a star in the constellation Draco. ... This photo of New York City shows excessive Sky glow, one form of light pollution, partly caused by many unshielded lights. ...

Given good viewing conditions, Thuban is relatively easy to spot in the night sky, due to its location in relation to the Big Dipper asterism of Ursa Major. While it is well known that the two outer stars of the 'dipper' point to the modern-day pole star Polaris, it is less well known that the two inner stars, Phecda and Megrez, point to Thuban, just seven and a half degrees of arc from Megrez. Big Dipper map The seven brightest stars of the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear, form a well-known asterism that has been recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures from time immemorial. ... In astronomy, an asterism is a recognized pattern of stars seen in Earths sky which is neither an official constellation nor a true star cluster. ... Ursa Major (Ursa Maior in Latin) is a constellation visible throughout the year in the northern hemisphere. ... For other uses of the words Pole star and Polestar see Polestar (disambiguation). ... Polaris (α UMi / α Ursae Minoris / Alpha Ursae Minoris) is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor. ... Gamma Ursae Majoris (γ UMa / γ Ursae Majoris) is a star in the constellation Ursa Major. ... Megrez is the star Delta Ursae Maioris. ...

Use as pole star

Due to the precession of Earth's rotational axis, Thuban was the naked-eye star closest to the north pole from 3942 BC, when it moved farther north than Theta Boötis, until 1793 BC, when it was superseded by Kappa Draconis. It was closest to the pole in 2787 BC, when it was less than two and a half arc-minutes away from the pole. It remained within one degree of true north for nearly 200 years afterwards, and even 900 years after its closest approach, was just five degrees off the pole. Thuban was considered the pole star until about 1900 BC, when the much brighter Kochab began to approach the pole as well. For other uses of the words Pole star and Polestar see Polestar (disambiguation). ... Precession refers to a change in the direction of the axis of a rotating object. ... Earth (often referred to as The Earth) is the third planet in the solar system in terms of distance from the Sun, and the fifth in order of size. ... The North Pole is the northernmost point on the Earth. ... Theta Boötis (or Asellus primus; abbr. ... Kappa Draconis is a blue giant star located in the constellation Draco. ... (Redirected from 1900 BC) (20th century BC - 19th century BC - 18th century BC - other centuries) (3rd millennium BC - 2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC) Events Hittite empire in Anatolia 1829 - 1818 BC -- Egyptian-Nubian war 1818 BC -- Egyptian Campaign in Palestine 1813 BC -- Amorite Conquest of Northern Mesopotamia 1806 BC... Beta Ursae Minoris (β UMi / β Ursae Minoris) is the second brightest star in the bowl of the Little Dipper, the constellation Ursa Minor. ...

Having gradually drifted away from the pole over the last 4,800 years, Thuban is now seen in the night sky at a declination of 64° 20' 45.6", RA 14h 04m 33.58s. After moving nearly 47 degrees off the pole by 10000 AD, Thuban will gradually move back toward the north celestial pole. In 20346 AD, it will again be the pole star, that year reaching a maximum declination of 88° 43' 17.3", RA 19h 08m 54.17s. In astronomy, declination (dec) is one of the two coordinates of the equatorial coordinate system, the other being either right ascension or hour angle. ... , , or This article is about the Egyptian god. ...

Classification

Thuban has a spectral class of A0III, indicating its similarity to Vega in temperature and spectrum, but more powerful and more massive. Thuban is not a main sequence star; it has now ceased hydrogen fusion in its core and is fusing helium. That makes it a bright giant star, being 250 times more powerful than our Sun but over 300 light-years distant. In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based initially on photospheric temperature and its associated spectral characteristics, and subsequently refined in terms of other characteristics. ... Orihime redirects here. ... Legend: γ = Gamma rays HX = Hard X-rays SX = Soft X-Rays EUV = Extreme ultraviolet NUV = Near ultraviolet Visible light NIR = Near infrared MIR = Moderate infrared FIR = Far infrared Radio waves: EHF = Extremely high frequency (Microwaves) SHF = Super high frequency (Microwaves) UHF = Ultrahigh frequency VHF = Very high frequency HF = High frequency... Hertzsprung-Russell diagram The main sequence of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is the curve where the majority of stars are located in this diagram. ... General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... The deuterium-tritium (D-T) fusion reaction is considered the most promising for producing fusion power. ... General Name, Symbol, Number helium, He, 2 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 4. ... The Sun is the star at the center of Earths solar system. ... A light year (or light-year, or lightyear), symbol ly, is the distance light travels in one year: about 9. ...

Thuban has no real anomalies other than it's quite rare to have a giant star in the A class, A being usually reserved for main sequence and the occasional supergiant. This indicates that Thuban has not been a giant star for very long and is likely still in the process of expanding, probably to eventually become a K class red/orange giant of the Aldebaran sort. It may also mean that it has recently run out of helium to fuse and is contracting before starting to burn carbon, in which case it may end up a blue giant such as Beta Centauri. Comparison between Aldebaran and the Sun Aldebaran, (α Tau / α Tauri / Alpha Tauri), is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus and one of the brightest stars in the nighttime sky. ... General Name, Symbol, Number carbon, C, 6 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 14, 2, p Appearance black (graphite) colorless (diamond) Atomic mass 12. ... In astronomy, a blue giant is a star with a spectral type of O or B and class of III (giant). ... Beta Centauri (β Cen / β Centauri), also known as Hadar or Agena, is the second brightest star in the constellation Centaurus and the eleventh brightest star in the nighttime sky. ...

Thuban is a binary star, with a companion star in a 51-day orbit. The companion has not been directly imaged and from its mass is likely a red dwarf or a low mass white dwarf. Artists impression of a binary star system consisting of a black hole, with an accretion disc around it, and a main sequence star. ... This article describes the British science fiction comedy television series. ... White dwarf Sirius-B in x-rays A white dwarf is an astronomical object which is produced when a low or medium mass star dies. ...

The name comes from the Arabic ثعبان (θu‘bān, "the basilisk"), the Arabic name for the constellation Draco. In Greek and European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk (from the Greek basiliskos, a little king, in Latin Regulus) is a legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents and said to have the power of causing death by a single glance. ...