Beta Draconis
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Beta Draconis (β Dra / β Draconis) is the third brightest star in the constellation Draco. It also has the traditional name Rastaban, which confusingly is sometimes also used for Gamma Draconis.
It is a yellow giant or supergiant of spectral class G4 with an apparent magnitude of 2.79. Its distance from the Sun is somewhere between 310 and 490 light years.
It is a binary star, designated ADS 10611 as such, orbited by a dwarf companion once every four millennia or so.
The traditional name, from the Arabic phrase ra's ath-thu'ban ("head of the serpent") is less commonly written Rastaben, and has also been used for the star Gamma Draconis. Rastaban is also known as Asuia and Alwaid, the latter meaning "who is to be destroyed," though some trace it to Arabic al'awwad ("the lute player"). It is part of the asterism of the Mother Camels (Arabic al'awa'id), which may have influenced this alternate name.
Coordinates (equinox 2000)
- Right Ascension 17h30m26s
- Declination +52°18'5"
[edit] References
- Dibon-Smith, Richard (1992). StarList 2000: A Quick Reference Star Catalog for Astronomers. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-55895-8
- Kaler, Jim (2004). "STARS: Rastaban". Retrieved July 11, 2005.
- Wright, Anne (2003). "The Fixed Stars: Alwaid". Retrieved July 11, 2005.
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