Lambda Draconis is a star

Star

A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...

 in the constellation

Constellation

In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....

 Draco

Draco (constellation)

Draco is a constellation in the far northern sky. Its name is Latin for dragon. Draco is circumpolar for many observers in the northern hemisphere...

. It has the traditional names Gianfar, Giansar, Juza, Giausar or Giauzar.

In Chinese

Chinese language

The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

, , meaning Right Wall of Purple Forbidden Enclosure

Purple Forbidden enclosure

The Purple Forbidden enclosure is one of the San Yuan or Three enclosures. Stars and constellations of this group lie near the north celestial pole and visible all year from temperate latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere.-Asterisms:The asterisms are :...

, refers to an asterism consisting of λ Draconis, α Draconis, κ Draconis

Kappa Draconis

Kappa Draconis is a blue giant star located in the constellation Draco. At an apparent magnitude of 3.88, it is barely visible to the naked eye when artificial lighting from cities is present. Nevertheless, it is a powerful star, approximately five time as massive as the Sun...

, 24 Ursae Majoris, 43 Camelopardalis

43 Camelopardalis

43 Camelopardalis is a star in the constellation Camelopardalis.43 Camelopardalis is a blue-white B-type giant with an apparent magnitude of +5.11...

, α Camelopardalis

Alpha Camelopardalis

Alpha Camelopardalis is an O-type supergiant star, with an apparent visual magnitude of approximately 4.301. It is the third brightest star in the constellation of Camelopardalis, the first and second brightest being β Camelopardalis and CS Camelopardalis, respectively...

 and BK Camelopardalis

BK Camelopardalis

BK Camelopardalis is a variable star in the Camelopardalis.-Chinese name:In Chinese, , meaning Right Wall of Purple Forbidden Enclosure, refers to an asterism consisting of BK Camelopardalis, α Draconis, κ Draconis, λ Draconis, 24 Ursae Majoris, 43 Camelopardalis and α Camelopardalis...

. Consequently, λ Draconis itself is known as , representing , meaning First Minister. 上輔 (Shǎngfǔ) is westernized into Sang Poo or Shaou Poo by R.H. Allen.

Structure

Lambda Draconis belongs to spectral class

Stellar classification

In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...

 M0 and has apparent magnitude

Apparent magnitude

The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...

 +4.1. It is approximately 334 light years from Earth

Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...

.

Coordinates (J2000):

• Right ascension
  Right ascension
  Right ascension is the astronomical term for one of the two coordinates of a point on the celestial sphere when using the equatorial coordinate system. The other coordinate is the declination.-Explanation:...
  
  : 11h28m30s
• Declination
  Declination
  In astronomy, declination is one of the two coordinates of the equatorial coordinate system, the other being either right ascension or hour angle. Declination in astronomy is comparable to geographic latitude, but projected onto the celestial sphere. Declination is measured in degrees north and...
  
  : +69°36'0"

Namesakes

USS Giansar (AK-111)

USS Giansar (AK-111)

USS Giansar was a originally laid down as the liberty ship SS Thomas Ewing. The ship was taken over by the United States Navy and renamed in 1943. After being decommissioned in 1945, Giansar was returned to the Maritime Commission. She was scrapped in 1963. The ship's original name honored Thomas...

 was a United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 Crater class cargo ship

Crater class cargo ship

Crater-class cargo ship is a category of freighter that was constructed for use by the United States Navy during World War II under Maritime Commission EC2-S-C1 type....

named after the star.