Xi Draconis
Encyclopedia
Xi Draconis is a star
in the constellation
Draco
. It has the traditional name Grumium or Genam.
This star, along with β Dra
(Rastaban), γ Dra (Eltanin), μ Dra
(Erakis) and ν Dra
(Kuma) were Al ʽAwāïd, "the Mother Camels", which was later known as the Quinque Dromedarii.
In Chinese
, , meaning Celestial Flail
, refers to an asterism consisting of ξ Draconis, ν Draconis
, β Draconis
, γ Draconis and ι Herculis
. Consequently, δ Draconis itself is known as
+3.75 and is of spectral class
K2-III. It is approximately 113 light years away from the Earth
.
Crater class cargo ship
named after the 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 name Grumium or Genam.
This star, along with β Dra
Beta Draconis
Beta Draconis is the third brightest star in the constellation of Draco. It has the traditional name Rastaban, which has also been used for Gamma Draconis....
(Rastaban), γ Dra (Eltanin), μ Dra
Mu Draconis
Mu Draconis is a binary star with a combined magnitude of 4.92m located approximately 85 light years from the Solar System, near the head of the constellation Draco. The component stars are nearly identical yellow-white stars in a tight orbit...
(Erakis) and ν Dra
Nu Draconis
Nu Draconis is a double star in the constellation Draco. The respective components are designated ν1 Draconis and ν2 Draconis...
(Kuma) were Al ʽAwāïd, "the Mother Camels", which was later known as the Quinque Dromedarii.
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 Celestial Flail
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 ξ Draconis, ν Draconis
Nu Draconis
Nu Draconis is a double star in the constellation Draco. The respective components are designated ν1 Draconis and ν2 Draconis...
, β Draconis
Beta Draconis
Beta Draconis is the third brightest star in the constellation of Draco. It has the traditional name Rastaban, which has also been used for Gamma Draconis....
, γ Draconis and ι Herculis
Iota Herculis
Iota Herculis is a fourth-magnitude star in the constellation Hercules. The luminary shares an etymological similarity with the star Rigel in the constellation of Orion, as both stars refer to one of the feet of each mythological hero.In Chinese, , meaning Celestial Flail, refers to an asterism...
. Consequently, δ Draconis itself is known as
Structure
Xi Draconis has apparent magnitudeApparent 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...
+3.75 and is of 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...
K2-III. It is approximately 113 light years away from the 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...
.
Namesakes
USS Grumium (AK-112) was a United States NavyUnited 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.