The Mother Camels (Arabic al'awa'id) is the name given by ancient Arabic nomadic tribes to an
asterismIn astronomy, an asterism is a pattern of stars seen in Earth's sky which is not an official constellation. Like constellations, they are composed of stars which, while they are in the same general direction, are not physically related, often being at significantly different distances from Earth....
in the
constellationIn modern astronomy, a constellation is an area of the celestial sphere, defined by exact boundaries.The term "constellation" can also be used loosely to refer to just the more prominent visible stars that seem to form a pattern in that area.-Definitions:...
of
DracoDraco is a constellation in the far northern sky. Its name is Latin for dragon. Draco is circumpolar for many observers in the northern hemisphere...
. Instead of the head of a dragon, the asterism is interpreted as a ring of mother camels (formed by γ Dra, ξ Dra, ν Dra and β Dra) surrounding a baby camel (the faint star in the middle), with another mother camel (μ Dra) running to join them. The camels were seen to be protecting the baby from a line of charging hyenas (ι Dra, θ Dra, η Dra, and ζ Dra).
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The Mother Camels (Arabic al'awa'id) is the name given by ancient Arabic nomadic tribes to an
asterismIn astronomy, an asterism is a pattern of stars seen in Earth's sky which is not an official constellation. Like constellations, they are composed of stars which, while they are in the same general direction, are not physically related, often being at significantly different distances from Earth....
in the
constellationIn modern astronomy, a constellation is an area of the celestial sphere, defined by exact boundaries.The term "constellation" can also be used loosely to refer to just the more prominent visible stars that seem to form a pattern in that area.-Definitions:...
of
DracoDraco is a constellation in the far northern sky. Its name is Latin for dragon. Draco is circumpolar for many observers in the northern hemisphere...
. Instead of the head of a dragon, the asterism is interpreted as a ring of mother camels (formed by γ Dra, ξ Dra, ν Dra and β Dra) surrounding a baby camel (the faint star in the middle), with another mother camel (μ Dra) running to join them. The camels were seen to be protecting the baby from a line of charging hyenas (ι Dra, θ Dra, η Dra, and ζ Dra).