DRACO

, the Dragon, a constellation of the northern hemisphere, whose origin is variously fabled by the Greeks; some of them representing it as the Dragon which guarded the Hesperian fruit, or golden apples, but being killed by Hercules, Juno, as a reward for its faithful services, took it up to heaven, and so formed this constellation; while others say, that in the war of the giants, this Dragon was brought into the combat, and opposed to Minerva, when the goddess taking the Dragon in her hand, threw him, twisted as he was, up to the skies, and fixed him to the axis of the heavens, before he had time to unwind his contortions.

The stars in this constellation are, according to Ptolomy, 31; according to Tycho, 32; according to Hevelius, 40; according to Bayer, 33; and according to Flamsteed, 80.