When is the best time to observe 74 Draconis?

74 Draconis is best observed from June through August, with peak visibility during July when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is 74 Draconis located in the sky?

74 Draconis lies in the constellation Draco at right ascension 20h 29m and declination +81° 05′.

What telescope do I need to split 74 Draconis?

Splitting 74 Draconis requires an aperture of roughly 60 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 214.4″ at magnitudes near 6.0. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

74 Draconis — Double Star in Draco

Observable Double Star Good (41/100)

Sep: 214.4", Companion: mag 8.7

Magnitude 6.0^m DoubleStar Draco (Dra) Visible

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Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 5.96

Spectral Type K0III+F8V giant

Star Color Orange (B-V 0.92)

Distance 148 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 20h 29m 27.5s

Dec +81° 05' 29.0"

Constellation Draco (Dra)

HR 7908

HIP 101082

HD 196925

SAO 3413

Flamsteed 74 Dra

SIMBAD

3How easy to split?

Primary 6.0 mag Companion 8.7 mag Separation 214.4″

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Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	Easy	Easy	Medium+
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	Easy	Easy	Easy
Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm	Easy	Easy	Easy

Easy Medium Hard Very hard Impossible

Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs

4Visibility

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Best season Jun – Aug (peak: Jul)

5Multiple Star System Triple

Components 3 (triple)

Component IDs AB

Separation 214.4″

Companion Mag 8.7

Companion Sp F8V

Position Angle 36°

Star Colors A: Orange B: Yellow

Discoverer STT 593

Notes

B is BD+80d662, 8.71V, +0.63(B-V), +0.00(U-B), F8V, CPM.

Separation over time

Measured 1851 → 2016 (165 y)

Separation drift 214.2" → 214.4" (+0.20")

Rate +0.0012" / y

PA drift 40° → 36° (-4°, -0.024°/y)

Essentially fixed on human timescales — the same view your grandchildren will see.

Measured from the WDS observational archive. No orbital solution has been derived — most likely the period is too long to fit an orbit to the available measurement arc.