Draco (constellation)

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/draco-constellation

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the constellation classification?One of the 88 modern constellations, part of the Ursa Major family
2. What is the ptolemaic listing?Included in Ptolemy's Almagest, signifying its recognition in antiquity
3. What is Draco in the night sky?Draco is a large constellation shaped like a dragon that can be seen all year in the northern sky.
4. Why is Draco called a circumpolar constellation?Draco never dips below the horizon for many people in the Northern Hemisphere, so it keeps circling the North Celestial Pole.

Axial Precession: The slow, conical wobble of Earth's axis that causes the North Celestial Pole to shift over thousands of years.
Circumpolar Constellation: A constellation that remains visible in the sky throughout the year for a given latitude, circling the celestial pole.
Celestial Navigation: The practice of finding one's position and course by observing the stars and other celestial bodies.
Stellar Proper Motion: The apparent angular motion of stars across the celestial sphere relative to the Sun, caused by their actual movement through space.