  We present the first CCD variability study of the Draco dwarf spheroidal
galaxy. The data were obtained with the FLWO 1.2 m telescope on 22 nights, over
a period of 10 months, covering a 22 x 22 arcmin field centered at
RA=17:19:57.5, Dec=57:50:05, J2000.0. The analysis of the BVI images produced
163 variable stars, 146 of which were RR Lyrae: 123 RRab, 16 RRc, 6 RRd and one
RR12. The other variables include a SX Phe star, four anomalous Cepheids and a
field eclipsing binary. Using the short distance scale statistical parallax
calibration of Gould & Popowski and 94 RRab stars from our field, we obtain a
distance modulus of (m-M)_0=19.40 +/- 0.02 (stat) +/- 0.15 (syst) mag for
Draco, corresponding to a distance of 75.7 kpc +/- 0.7 (stat) +/- 5.4 (syst)
kpc. By comparing the spread in magnitudes of RRab stars in B,V and I, we find
no evidence for internal dust in the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy. The catalog
of all variables, as well as their photometry and finding charts, is available
electronically via anonymous ftp and the World Wide Web. The complete set of
the CCD frames is available upon request.
