constellation Draco (Dra) is quite visible in the sky.It can be seen with the naked eye - the figure passes through Ursa Minor, the head is to the north of Hercules, but the body is difficult to see because it is composed of many little burning stars.Near the Dragon are such constellations of the northern sky as the Big Dipper and Little Hercules.It is located next to Hercules with an ulterior motive: if you remember the legend, the dragon in the sky - this is the serpent, which lost the battle, was defeated by the hero in the garden.
In ancient times, the first to see the constellation of the Dragon Mesopotamians.There are several versions of mythological origin.As they say in the mythology, after the secret birth of a dragon in a cave yawns, his father, angry and vengeful Krohn learned of the deception and decided to kill the baby.Dragon had to turn into a serpent, and he turned her into a bear nannies.Here and there were the constellations of the sky - Small and Big Bear and the Dragon.This version is confirmed by the fact that all three are in the same constellation, circumpolar, the celestial region.
Sometimes the Dragon constellation is associated with the legend of titanomachy.In a bloody battle, in the midst of it, someone hurled a huge snake goddess Athena.Athena, grabbing the tail of the dragon, run it with full force into the sky, so he flew to the celestial pole, where frozen to the sky.And so it was the memory of victory of the gods over the titans!But the Babylonians believed that the stars protects the evil serpent, which God himself has entrusted Mardug case.In many myths the dragon is represented by a horrible creature, suggestive fear in ordinary people.But also, people believed that it is a security guard, sent by the gods to protect the star.
Dragon constellation in the sky, having a large area ratio 1083 square degrees of interest to amateur astronomers.English astronomer James Bradley made one of the biggest discoveries associated with the constellation of the Dragon.After graduating from Oxford University, James decided to completely give themselves to science and began working at the same university, later became a professor of astronomy.Having achieved remarkable success, he eventually became the director of one of the observatories.But long before the astronomer observed the constellation Draco, trying to find proof of the main parallax displacement, but rather to convey that the apparent frequency of the movement of stars in the celestial sphere is really caused by the Earth's rotation around the sun.Astronomer worked hard and found a shift of the constellations, but it did not happen the way we would like, but in the other direction.Bradley was able to give an explanation of this fact: all his observations showed that it was caused by the orbital motion of the Earth, that it served as proof.
In principle, a constellation visible throughout Russia, you can watch it at least a year.Best of all it is noticeable in March and May.There are many interesting groups of stars, but the constellation of the Dragon is really fascinating, it is shrouded in mystery.That's why he was devoted to so many myths and stories.
