It has an apparent magnitude of 3.6452 and lies at an approximate distance of 303 light years from Earth. The primary is a yellow-white star of magnitude 4.6 and the secondary is a yellow star of magnitude 5.8. Even though it has the designation Alpha, it is only the eighth brightest star in Draco. From 3942 BCE to 1793 BCE, Thuban was the north pole star, the nearest visible star to the north celestial pole. Emeritus of Astronomy, University of Illinois Learn about stellar spectra in STARS AND THEIR SPECTRA: An Introduction to the Spectral Sequence, Second Ed., with two new chapters and 140 new illustrations, Cambridge University Press (UK or North America), 2011. We’re going to estimate the magnitude of one of those stars, Grumium (Xi (ξ) Draconis). Kuma has an apparent magnitude of 4.89 which is how bright we see the star from Earth. Of an average magnitude, it burns inconspicuous at the base of the serpent’s jaw, slightly obscured by stellar dust, another point of light among billions. The primary, a blue-white star of magnitude 5.1, is itself a binary with components of magnitude 5.4 and 6.5. Xi Draconis, an orange giant star, shines one hundred thirteen light years away from Earth in the constellation Draco, a serpent people of the ancient world saw slithering in the night sky. Lambda Draconis is a M0 class star 334 light years away, with an apparent magnitude of 4.1. "Kunitzsch and Smart, on the other hand, have it derived from a Latin word meaning a pig's snout, sort of appropriate for the "serpent's jawbone." Allen calls this faintest (fourth magnitude, 3.75) star in the head of Draco, the Dragon, a "barbarism. GRUMIUM (Xi Draconis). The primary, a blue-white star of magnitude 5.1, is itself a binary with components of magnitude 5.4 and 6.5. The head of the dragon consists of four stars (Beta, Gamma, Nu and Xi Draconis) in a … If you used the 1997 Parallax value, you would get an absolute magnitude of 2.48 If you used the 2007 Parallax value, you would get an absolute magnitude … It has a visual magnitude of 3.6452 and is about 303 light years away. With a name like that, were you a star, you'd probably prefer "Xi." The primary is a yellow-white star of magnitude 4.6 and the secondary is a yellow star of magnitude 5.8. Of an average magnitude, it burns inconspicuous at the base of the serpent’s jaw, slightly obscured by stellar dust, another point of light… STARS and STARS OF THE WEEK Star Count: 950 Created by Jim Kaler, Prof. Apparent Magnitude is also known as Visual Magnitude. 16 Draconis and 17 Draconis are part of a triple star 400 light-years from Earth, divisible in medium-sized amateur telescopes.