This is the list of the proper names for the stars in the constellation Pisces. (Used modern western astronomy and uranography only).
List
| star | proper name | derivation |
|---|---|---|
| α Psc | Alrescha | Arabic |
| Okda | Arabic | |
| Kaitain | Arabic | |
| β Psc | Fum al Samakah | Arabic |
| η Psc | Alpherg | Arabic |
| ο Psc | Torcularis Septentrionalis | Latin |
Etymologies
α Psc
- Alrescha (Al Rescha, Al Richa, Alrischa, Al Rischa, Alrisha, El Rischa):
- ＜ (ar) al-rishā’ , "the cord" ＜ (ind.-ar) al-Rishā’, "the Rope (of the well-Bucket)", for β And. Later, wrongly transferred to this star.
- Okda:
- ＜ (ar) ‘uqdah, "knot" ＜ (sci.-ar) ‘aqd al-khayṭayn, "the knot of the cord", for this star.
- Kaitain:
- ＜ (ar) khayṭayn, "cord" ＜ (sci.-ar) ‘aqd al-khayṭayn, for this star.
β Psc
- Fum al Samakah:
- ＜ (sci.-ar) fam al-Samakah, "the mouth of the Fish", for this star.
η Psc
- Alpherg:
- ＜ (ar) al-farg, "the beak-shaped spout (of the well-Bucket)", ＜ (ind.-ar) al-farg al-Muqaddam, "the Fore Spout", for β and α Peg as 24th Arabic lunar mansion, or al-farg al-Mu'akhkhar, "the Rear Spout", for α And and γ Peg as 25th Aerabic lunar mansion, later erroneously transferred to this star.
- Kullat Nūnu:
- The star had an obscure Babylonian name Kullat Nūnu−the latter being the Babylonian word for fish and the former "Kullat" referring to either a bucket or the cord that ties the fish together.
ο Psc
- Torcularis Septentrionalis:
- ＜ (la) torcularis septentrionalis, "northern press".
See also
Notes
- ind.-ar ＝ indigenous Arabic. See Kunitzsch & Smart (2006) p.4.
- sci.-ar ＝ scientific Arabic. See Kunitzsch & Smart (2006) p.4.
References
- Allen, Richard Hinckley (1963). Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning (rep. ed.). New York, NY: Dover Publications Inc. ISBN 0-486-21079-0.
- Kunitzsch, Paul; Smart, Tim (2006). A Dictionary of Modern star Names: A Short Guide to 254 Star Names and Their Derivations (2nd rev. ed.). Cambridge, MA: Sky Publishing Corporation. ISBN 978-1-931559-44-7.