Imai

From All Skies Encyclopaedia
Imai profile card (CC BY M.Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN).

Authors: IAU-WGSN Etymology Group, Susanne M Hoffmann, Youla Azkarrula


Imai
Asterism Info
Native
Imai
Translation
imai grass
Position (2000)
Right ascension183.786327
Declination-58.74892408
Area0 sq. deg.
Stars
Bright stars1
Bayer/Flamsteed
stars
1
Stars brighter than 3.00m0
Brightest starImai (2.752m)
Taxonomy
category
of asterism
IAU-Star Name
IAU-
constellations
Cru

Imai is a modern star name adopted by the International Astronomical Union in the IAU-Catalog of Star Names (IAU-CSN). Its origin is African/ Mursi. It is the name of HIP 59747 (δ Cru, HR 4656) in constellation Cru.

Etymology and History

The Mursi name a line of four stars imai (δ Cru), thaadoi (β Cru), waar (β Cen) and sholbi (α Cen). Their successive disappearance (heliacal setting) are used to determine when the River Omo will flood (it does this several times) and hence to determine when to plant the annual crop of cowpeas beside it (after the last flood but before the ground dries out). Imai is the Mursi name for the grass that grows along the banks of the river (Rhynchelytrum repens). It is said that when the imai star disappears, the Omo rises high enough to flatten the imai grass.

Mythology

IAU Working Group on Star Names

The name was adopted by the IAU WGSN on 2018/08/10.

Reference

  • References (general)
  • Turton and Ruggles (1978), "Agreeing to Disagree: the measurement of duration in a south-western Ethiopian community", Current Anthropology, 19 (1978), 585-600.