June 2014 Constellation of the Month -- Draco

Draco, "the Dragon," is a sinuous constellation that winds its way among the circumpolar constellations.   

Face north and look high in the sky.  Find the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), our March 2013 Constellation of the Month.  The open part of the bowl of the Big Dipper faces the smaller bowl of the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor).  The tail of Draco is about halfway in between.  Draco is comprised relatively faint stars – more of the brightness of the stars of the Little Dipper than those of the Big Dipper.

Follow the tail south, in the direction of Hercules, our July 2013.  Then, Draco curves north in an arc around the Little Dipper, heading toward Cepheus our October 2013 constellation.  Then, Draco curves south again and ends with a "head" formed by a quadrilateral of stars near Hercules.   

The head is east of Vega, the very bright star in the constellation Lyra, our August 2013 constellation.  The 4 stars in the head are among the brightest in the constellation.  That, and its compact size, makes the head relatively easy to find.  So, you may want to start there, if you're having trouble finding the tail.

Draco is home to the Cat's Eye Nebula, NGC 6643.  This is a Planetary Nebula, which is the remnant of an exploded star.  A Hubble Telescope photo shows a complex interplay of shapes structure, within the roughly spherical shape of the nebula. 

(picture credit Wikipedia)