Anuradha (अनुराधा)

From All Skies Encyclopaedia
Anuradha

Authors: Susanne M Hoffmann, Youla Azkarrula


Anuradha nakshatra in Tirupperunthurai (Athmanathaswamy temple) near Aranthangi, India, 10th century CE. (SMH 2025).
अनुराधा (Anuradha)
Asterism Info
Native
अनुराधा
RomanisationAnuradha
IPAɐnuɾaːd̪ʱɑː
Translation
Anuradha
Position (2000)
Right ascension239.221155 to 242.9988987
Declination-29.21407444 to -19.4606906
Area10.34 sq. deg.
Stars
Bright stars9
Bayer/Flamsteed
stars
9
Stars brighter than 3.00m4
Brightest starDschubba (2.32m)
Taxonomy
category
of asterism
constellation
IAU-
constellations
Sco
The nakshatras 17, 18, 19 mapped to the Stellarium star chart; Anuradha is the westernmost (right) one.

Anuradha (अनुराधा) is an Indian name, used by the Indian Vedic tradition. Most of these names are roughly 3000 years old. They pre-date Hinduism but were taken over by it.

Etymology and History

Name Variants

  • Anuradha
  • Maitra

Origin of Constellation

Anuradha means "following Radha". It is an asterism depicted as consisting of four stars. They are typically identified with β, δ, φ and ρ Scorpii, a rather recognizable configuation that forms almost a straight line. The same line forms the Chinese constellation Fang (房宿).

Stars within the Constellation Area

id Label IAU design. description Vmag
1 Dschubba HIP 78401 Constellation lines (Vertex) 2.32
2 Acrab HIP 78820 Constellation lines (Vertex) 2.5
3 Acrab HIP 78820 Constellation lines 2.62
4 Fang HIP 78265 Constellation lines 2.91
5 Iklil HIP 78104 Constellation lines (Vertex) 3.86
6 ω 1 Scorpii HIP 78933 Inside the hull 3.97
7 Jabbah HIP 79374 Constellation lines (Vertex) 4
8 ω 2 Scorpii HIP 78990 Inside the hull 4.33
9 Jabbah A HIP 79374 Constellation lines (Vertex) 4.349

Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation

Mythology

mnemonic tales and cultural significance

References