description Etamin Overview
insights Why this score
Etamin ranks #60 of 217 in the Star ranking, behind Kepler-22, ahead of Shaula.
Bradley's aberration discovery target, bright Draco giant, historically important though less public-facing.
help Etamin FAQ
Why did James Bradley observe Etamin?
Bradley and Samuel Molyneux observed Gamma Draconis while trying to detect annual stellar parallax. Its path almost directly over London made it well suited to measurements with their nearly vertical telescope.
What did observations of Etamin reveal instead of parallax?
Bradley found an annual displacement that could not be explained as the expected parallax. He recognized it as stellar aberration, an apparent shift caused by Earth's orbital motion combined with the finite speed of light.
Is Etamin the same star as Eltanin?
Yes, Etamin and Eltanin are variant names for Gamma Draconis. The International Astronomical Union's standardized form is Eltanin, although Etamin remains common in historical writing.
How can Etamin be Draco's brightest star when it is called Gamma Draconis?
Bayer letters do not always follow exact apparent brightness, so the gamma designation does not mean the star ranks third. Eltanin is brighter in Earth's sky than Alpha Draconis, better known as Thuban.
explore Explore More
Similar to Etamin
See all arrow_forward
Reviews & Comments
Write a Review
Be the first to review
Share your thoughts with the community and help others make better decisions.
