Mu Draconis
Encyclopedia
Mu Draconis is a binary star
with a combined magnitude
of 4.92m located approximately 85 light years from the Solar System
, near the head of the constellation
Draco
. The component stars are nearly identical yellow-white stars in a tight orbit. Each is of the spectral class
F7V and has a visual magnitude of 5.8m.
Mu Draconis is also known by its older name Alrakis,
which is derived from name given to it in Arabic
by Arabian stargazers, al-Rāqiṣ, "the Trotting Camel" or "the Dancer." This name is also sometimes spelled in the English
as "Arrakis" or "Errakis."
This star, along with β Dra
(Rastaban), γ Dra (Eltanin), ν Dra
(Kuma) and ξ Dra
(Grumium) were Al ʽAwāïd, "the Mother Camels", which was later known as the Quinque Dromedarii..
Science fiction
writer Frank Herbert
chose Arrakis
as the name of the primary planet in his famous Dune series of novels, aware that the word "Arrakis" is the transliteration into English of the Arabic words for "the dancer" (al-Raqis).
Binary star
A binary star is a star system consisting of two stars orbiting around their common center of mass. The brighter star is called the primary and the other is its companion star, comes, or secondary...
with a combined magnitude
Magnitude (astronomy)
Magnitude is the logarithmic measure of the brightness of an object, in astronomy, measured in a specific wavelength or passband, usually in optical or near-infrared wavelengths.-Background:...
of 4.92m located approximately 85 light years from the Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
, near the head of the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Draco
Draco (constellation)
Draco is a constellation in the far northern sky. Its name is Latin for dragon. Draco is circumpolar for many observers in the northern hemisphere...
. The component stars are nearly identical yellow-white stars in a tight orbit. Each is of the spectral class
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
F7V and has a visual magnitude of 5.8m.
Mu Draconis is also known by its older name Alrakis,
which is derived from name given to it in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
by Arabian stargazers, al-Rāqiṣ, "the Trotting Camel" or "the Dancer." This name is also sometimes spelled in the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as "Arrakis" or "Errakis."
This star, along with β Dra
Beta Draconis
Beta Draconis is the third brightest star in the constellation of Draco. It has the traditional name Rastaban, which has also been used for Gamma Draconis....
(Rastaban), γ Dra (Eltanin), ν Dra
Nu Draconis
Nu Draconis is a double star in the constellation Draco. The respective components are designated ν1 Draconis and ν2 Draconis...
(Kuma) and ξ Dra
Xi Draconis
Xi Draconis is a star in the constellation Draco. It has the traditional name Grumium or Genam.This star, along with β Dra , γ Dra , μ Dra and ν Dra were Al ʽAwāïd, "the Mother Camels", which was later known as the Quinque Dromedarii.In Chinese, , meaning Celestial Flail, refers to an asterism...
(Grumium) were Al ʽAwāïd, "the Mother Camels", which was later known as the Quinque Dromedarii..
Science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
writer Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
chose Arrakis
Arrakis
Arrakis — informally known as Dune and later called Rakis — is a fictional desert planet featured in the Dune series of novels by Frank Herbert. Herbert's first novel in the series, 1965's Dune, is popularly considered one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time, and it is...
as the name of the primary planet in his famous Dune series of novels, aware that the word "Arrakis" is the transliteration into English of the Arabic words for "the dancer" (al-Raqis).