Chi Draconis
Chi Draconis is a magnitude 3.6 binary star in the constellation Draco. At a distance of 27 light-years, it is one of the 200 or so closest stars.
Nomenclature
Chi Draconis is the star's Bayer designation. It also has the Flamsteed designation 44 Draconis.In a 1971 NASA memorandum, this star was listed with the name Alahakan. According to R. H. Allen's Star Names, Al ʽAuhaḳān, meaning "the two black bulls, or ravens", was an Arabic name for χ and ψ Draconis, among other stars in Draco.
In Chinese astronomy, this star is identified as Yùnǚsì, the fourth star of the asterism Yùnǚ. Alternatively, it may be Zhùshǐ, usually identified as φ Draconis. R. H. Allen said it was Kwei She.
Binary system
χ Draconis is a spectroscopic binary which has been resolved using speckle interferometry. The primary is an F7 main sequence star. The spectral type of the companion cannot be determined directly with any accuracy, but is known to be between G8 and K2 and is assumed to be K0. The properties of the secondary suggest that it is also a main-sequence star. The separation of the two stars varies between about and during the eccentric 182-day orbit.The primary star has a mass fractionally higher than the Sun's, but is significantly larger and hotter resulting in it being 86% more luminous. Its age is estimated to be about five billion years.
The secondary only has about three-quarters the mass of the Sun and is both cooler and smaller. It is only about 29% as luminous. It is calculated to be 2.13 magnitudes fainter than the primary, so it would be of sixth magnitude if visible alone.