Al-Miġzal - Revision history

Sushoff at 07:18, 19 July 2026

2026-07-19T07:18:43Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:18, 19 July 2026
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	{{DISPLAYTITLE: ~~''al-Mighzal'',~~ ''al-Miġzal'' (المِغْزَل)}}		{{DISPLAYTITLE: ''al-Miġzal'' (المِغْزَل)}}

	Authors: {{PAGEAUTHORS}}		Authors: {{PAGEAUTHORS}}
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	==Provenance, Etymology, History==		==Provenance, Etymology, History==
			'''Name Variants'''

			* '''''al-Miġzal'''''
			* ''al-Mighzal''
			* [[Almighzal]] (modern star name)



	The name al-Miġzal is used regionally in central Saudi Arabia. It comes from an indigenous star knowledge of the ancient Arabs living in the Arabian Peninsula prior to the Greek astronomy influence in the ninth century. AlAjaji elaborates in Stellarium:<ref name=":0" /><blockquote>The star knowledge of the ancient Arabs had been recorded and preserved in old poetry and in the old works of Arab philologists and lexicographers of the Islamic civilization. Many books were written on the subject of star knowledge and anwāʾ [Arabic الأنواء], the Arabic knowledge of meteorology. The editors of Ibn Qutaybah's ''Kitāb al-Anwāʾ'' (9th century) listed twenty-four books on this subject written mostly between early eighth and tenth century<ref>Ibn Qutaybah, Al-Dinawarī, Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allah b. Muslim (died ~ 889), Kitab al-Anwāʾ (Book of meteorolgy), (Arabic print of the original book, Daʾirat al-Maʿarif al-Osmania, Hydarabad, India, 1956), أبو محمد عبد الله بن مسلم ابن قتيبة الدينوري (توفي 276 هـ)، كتاب الأنواء في مواسم العرب، دائرة المعارف العثمانية، حيدر أباد، الهند، 1375 هـ</ref>. The only completely preserved text is that of Ibn Qutaybah, but later scholars had quoted many of the earlier texts. One of the most significant works that recorded the indigenous Arab star names is the ''Book of the stars'' written in ~ 964 AD by the prominent astronomer: al-Ṣūfī, where he identified the indigenous Arab star names with the respective Ptolemaic stars of the Greek constellations<ref>">Book of the stars by al-Ṣūfī (died 986): Critical edition with commentary by Khalid al-Ajaji, digital edition, 2021, كتاب الكواكب لأبي الحسين عبد الرحمن بن عمر الرازي المعروف بالصوفي (291-376)، تحقيق خالد بن عبد الله العجاجي</ref>.</blockquote>[[File:Al-Miġzal.png\|thumb\|Al-Miġzal asterism in Cygnus. Photo by Khalid al-Ajaji taken on October 2016, the time of the identification of the name and its stars. (CC BY Khalid AlAjaji 2026).]]		The name al-Miġzal is used regionally in central Saudi Arabia. It comes from an indigenous star knowledge of the ancient Arabs living in the Arabian Peninsula prior to the Greek astronomy influence in the ninth century. AlAjaji elaborates in Stellarium:<ref name=":0" /><blockquote>The star knowledge of the ancient Arabs had been recorded and preserved in old poetry and in the old works of Arab philologists and lexicographers of the Islamic civilization. Many books were written on the subject of star knowledge and anwāʾ [Arabic الأنواء], the Arabic knowledge of meteorology. The editors of Ibn Qutaybah's ''Kitāb al-Anwāʾ'' (9th century) listed twenty-four books on this subject written mostly between early eighth and tenth century<ref>Ibn Qutaybah, Al-Dinawarī, Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allah b. Muslim (died ~ 889), Kitab al-Anwāʾ (Book of meteorolgy), (Arabic print of the original book, Daʾirat al-Maʿarif al-Osmania, Hydarabad, India, 1956), أبو محمد عبد الله بن مسلم ابن قتيبة الدينوري (توفي 276 هـ)، كتاب الأنواء في مواسم العرب، دائرة المعارف العثمانية، حيدر أباد، الهند، 1375 هـ</ref>. The only completely preserved text is that of Ibn Qutaybah, but later scholars had quoted many of the earlier texts. One of the most significant works that recorded the indigenous Arab star names is the ''Book of the stars'' written in ~ 964 AD by the prominent astronomer: al-Ṣūfī, where he identified the indigenous Arab star names with the respective Ptolemaic stars of the Greek constellations<ref>">Book of the stars by al-Ṣūfī (died 986): Critical edition with commentary by Khalid al-Ajaji, digital edition, 2021, كتاب الكواكب لأبي الحسين عبد الرحمن بن عمر الرازي المعروف بالصوفي (291-376)، تحقيق خالد بن عبد الله العجاجي</ref>.</blockquote>[[File:Al-Miġzal.png\|thumb\|Al-Miġzal asterism in Cygnus. Photo by Khalid al-Ajaji taken on October 2016, the time of the identification of the name and its stars. (CC BY Khalid AlAjaji 2026).]]

Sushoff: /* IAU Working Group Star Names */

2026-07-19T07:10:44Z

IAU Working Group Star Names

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:10, 19 July 2026
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	==IAU Working Group Star Names==		==IAU Working Group Star Names==

	In 2026, the name al-Miġzal (or any spelling variant) was suggested as a star name in the area that is covered by the historical asterism. It is suggested to be used for η Cyg.		In 2026, the name al-Miġzal (or any spelling variant) was suggested as a star name in the area that is covered by the historical asterism. It is suggested to be used for η Cyg.

	~~WGSN decided in ... 202x to name ... ...~~

	~~This star is <a red giant or whatelse> ... here astrophysical data will be added (by Eric, most likely) after the decision.~~

	== Weblinks ==		== Weblinks ==

Sushoff at 05:27, 18 July 2026

2026-07-18T05:27:19Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:27, 18 July 2026
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	==Provenance, Etymology, History==		==Provenance, Etymology, History==

	The name al-Miġzal is used regionally in central Saudi Arabia.		The name al-Miġzal is used regionally in central Saudi Arabia. It comes from an indigenous star knowledge of the ancient Arabs living in the Arabian Peninsula prior to the Greek astronomy influence in the ninth century. AlAjaji elaborates in Stellarium:<ref name=":0" /><blockquote>The star knowledge of the ancient Arabs had been recorded and preserved in old poetry and in the old works of Arab philologists and lexicographers of the Islamic civilization. Many books were written on the subject of star knowledge and anwāʾ [Arabic الأنواء], the Arabic knowledge of meteorology. The editors of Ibn Qutaybah's ''Kitāb al-Anwāʾ'' (9th century) listed twenty-four books on this subject written mostly between early eighth and tenth century<ref>Ibn Qutaybah, Al-Dinawarī, Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allah b. Muslim (died ~ 889), Kitab al-Anwāʾ (Book of meteorolgy), (Arabic print of the original book, Daʾirat al-Maʿarif al-Osmania, Hydarabad, India, 1956), أبو محمد عبد الله بن مسلم ابن قتيبة الدينوري (توفي 276 هـ)، كتاب الأنواء في مواسم العرب، دائرة المعارف العثمانية، حيدر أباد، الهند، 1375 هـ</ref>. The only completely preserved text is that of Ibn Qutaybah, but later scholars had quoted many of the earlier texts. One of the most significant works that recorded the indigenous Arab star names is the ''Book of the stars'' written in ~ 964 AD by the prominent astronomer: al-Ṣūfī, where he identified the indigenous Arab star names with the respective Ptolemaic stars of the Greek constellations<ref>">Book of the stars by al-Ṣūfī (died 986): Critical edition with commentary by Khalid al-Ajaji, digital edition, 2021, كتاب الكواكب لأبي الحسين عبد الرحمن بن عمر الرازي المعروف بالصوفي (291-376)، تحقيق خالد بن عبد الله العجاجي</ref>.</blockquote>[[File:Al-Miġzal.png\|thumb\|Al-Miġzal asterism in Cygnus. Photo by Khalid al-Ajaji taken on October 2016, the time of the identification of the name and its stars. (CC BY Khalid AlAjaji 2026).]]
	[[File:Al-Miġzal.png\|thumb\|Al-Miġzal asterism in Cygnus. Photo by Khalid al-Ajaji taken on October 2016, the time of the identification of the name and its stars. (CC BY Khalid AlAjaji 2026).]]
	<gallery widths="240" heights="360" perrow="1">		<gallery widths="240" heights="360" perrow="1">
	File:Service-pnp-matpc-03700-03790v.jpg\|Bedouin shepherdess spinning. Source: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Digital ID: matpc 03790 https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/matpc.03790 [https://www.loc.gov/resource/matpc.03790/ Original image on loc.gov]		File:Service-pnp-matpc-03700-03790v.jpg\|Bedouin shepherdess spinning. Source: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Digital ID: matpc 03790 https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/matpc.03790 [https://www.loc.gov/resource/matpc.03790/ Original image on loc.gov]
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	The name comes from local oral tradition, recorded by Khalid al-Ajaji in October 2016 during a star-gazing session in the dunes of Ṯuwayrāt in the [[wikipedia:Al-Zulfi\|al-Zulfī]] region, northwest of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The identification was made directly at the time, when the informant pointed to the cross-shaped stars of Cygnus, visible from shortly after sunset until after midnight.		The name comes from local oral tradition, recorded by Khalid al-Ajaji in October 2016 during a star-gazing session in the dunes of Ṯuwayrāt in the [[wikipedia:Al-Zulfi\|al-Zulfī]] region, northwest of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The identification was made directly at the time, when the informant pointed to the cross-shaped stars of Cygnus, visible from shortly after sunset until after midnight.

	The research is documented and published in Stellarium software,<ref>Zotti, G., Hoffmann, S. M., Wolf, A., Chéreau, F., & Chéreau, G. (2021). The Simulated Sky: Stellarium for Cultural Astronomy Research. Journal of Skyscape Archaeology, 6(2), 221–258. DOI: 10.1558/jsa.17822</ref> available as a public dataset in the Stellarium GitHub Repository<ref>Stellarium Repo https://zenodo.org/records/20835040<nowiki/>Stellarium's official Zenodo Digital Object Identifier (DOI) 10.5281/zenodo.20835040</ref> and the description by Khalid AlAjaji is also published in paper form in the conference proceedings Hoffmann and Wolfschmidt (eds. 2022)<ref>Khalid AlAjaji (2022). Stellarium Sky Culture "Arabian Peninsula", in Hoffmann, S. and Wolfschmidt, G. (eds.). Astronomy in Culture - Cultures of Astronomy, Featuring the Proceedings of a splinter meeting in the German Astronomical Society. tredition, Ahrensburg.</ref>. In Stellarium it is written (by Khalid AlAjaji): <blockquote>'''The Wool Spindle:''' The cross-shaped arrangement of α Cyg (Deneb), ε Cyg (Gienah), γ Cyg (Sadr), δ Cyg, and β1+β2 Cyg (Albireo). This comes from oral tradition in Zulfi, central Saudi Arabia [#1]<ref>Reference [#1] in this case is "Oral Tradition" documented by the author of this sky culture, Khalid AlAjaji. </ref>. </blockquote>		The research is documented and published in Stellarium software,<ref>Zotti, G., Hoffmann, S. M., Wolf, A., Chéreau, F., & Chéreau, G. (2021). The Simulated Sky: Stellarium for Cultural Astronomy Research. Journal of Skyscape Archaeology, 6(2), 221–258. DOI: 10.1558/jsa.17822</ref> available as a public dataset in the Stellarium GitHub Repository<ref>Stellarium Repo https://zenodo.org/records/20835040<nowiki/>Stellarium's official Zenodo Digital Object Identifier (DOI) 10.5281/zenodo.20835040</ref> and the description by Khalid AlAjaji is also published in paper form in the conference proceedings Hoffmann and Wolfschmidt (eds. 2022)<ref name=":0">Khalid AlAjaji (2022). Stellarium Sky Culture "Arabian Peninsula", in Hoffmann, S. and Wolfschmidt, G. (eds.). Astronomy in Culture - Cultures of Astronomy, Featuring the Proceedings of a splinter meeting in the German Astronomical Society. tredition, Ahrensburg.</ref>. In Stellarium it is written (by Khalid AlAjaji): <blockquote>'''The Wool Spindle:''' The cross-shaped arrangement of α Cyg (Deneb), ε Cyg (Gienah), γ Cyg (Sadr), δ Cyg, and β1+β2 Cyg (Albireo). This comes from oral tradition in Zulfi, central Saudi Arabia [#1]<ref>Reference [#1] in this case is "Oral Tradition" documented by the author of this sky culture, Khalid AlAjaji. </ref>. </blockquote>

	==== Stars Identification ====		==== Stars Identification ====

Sushoff: /* IAU Working Group Star Names */

2026-07-16T10:37:58Z

IAU Working Group Star Names

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:37, 16 July 2026
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	==IAU Working Group Star Names==		==IAU Working Group Star Names==

	In 2026, the name al-Miġzal (or any spelling variant) was suggested as a star name in the area that is covered by the historical asterism. It is suggested to be used for ...		In 2026, the name al-Miġzal (or any spelling variant) was suggested as a star name in the area that is covered by the historical asterism. It is suggested to be used for η Cyg.

	WGSN decided in ... 202x to name ... ...		WGSN decided in ... 202x to name ... ...

Sushoff: /* Reference */

2026-07-16T10:37:05Z

Reference

@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 == Reference ==
-{{reflist|refs=
 [[Category:Africa]][[Category:North Africa]]
 [[Category:Eurasia]][[Category:Asian]][[Category:West Asian]]

Sushoff at 10:35, 16 July 2026

2026-07-16T10:35:09Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:35, 16 July 2026
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	== Weblinks ==		== Weblinks ==

	*		* Stellarium https://stellarium.org/
	~~== Bibliography ==~~
	~~Lisān al-ʿarab<ref name="lisan"~~/~~>, Kitāb al-Kawākib<ref name="khalid2021sufi"~~/~~>, Ibn Qutayba<ref name="qutayba"~~/>, Al-Marzūqī<ref name="marzuqi"/>, Kunitzsch<ref name="Kunitzsch1961"/>, Danielle Adams<ref name="Adams2018"/>, Laffitte (2012<ref name="Laffitte2012"/>, 2025<ref name="Laffitte2025"/>), Urjuzat al-Kawākib<ref name="khalid2021urjuza"/>, Al-Ṯaqafī<ref name="thaqafi"/>, Al-Farāhīdī<ref name="farahidi"/>, Al-Ṣūfī 1954<ref name="sufi1954"/> Ideler 1809<ref name="ideler"/>, Schjellerup<ref name="Schjellerup"/>

	== Reference ==		== Reference ==

Sushoff: /* Sources and Identification */

2026-07-16T09:48:11Z

Sources and Identification

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:48, 16 July 2026
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	The name comes from local oral tradition, recorded by Khalid al-Ajaji in October 2016 during a star-gazing session in the dunes of Ṯuwayrāt in the [[wikipedia:Al-Zulfi\|al-Zulfī]] region, northwest of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The identification was made directly at the time, when the informant pointed to the cross-shaped stars of Cygnus, visible from shortly after sunset until after midnight.		The name comes from local oral tradition, recorded by Khalid al-Ajaji in October 2016 during a star-gazing session in the dunes of Ṯuwayrāt in the [[wikipedia:Al-Zulfi\|al-Zulfī]] region, northwest of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The identification was made directly at the time, when the informant pointed to the cross-shaped stars of Cygnus, visible from shortly after sunset until after midnight.

	The research is documented and published in Stellarium software,<ref>Zotti, G., Hoffmann, S. M., Wolf, A., Chéreau, F., & Chéreau, G. (2021). The Simulated Sky: Stellarium for Cultural Astronomy Research. Journal of Skyscape Archaeology, 6(2), 221–258. DOI: 10.1558/jsa.17822</ref> available as a public dataset in the Stellarium GitHub Repository<ref>Stellarium Repo https://zenodo.org/records/20835040<nowiki/>Stellarium's official Zenodo Digital Object Identifier (DOI) 10.5281/zenodo.20835040</ref> and the description by Khalid AlAjaji is also published in paper form in the conference proceedings Hoffmann and Wolfschmidt (eds. 2022)<ref>Khalid AlAjaji (2022). Stellarium Sky Culture "Arabian Peninsula", in Hoffmann, S. and Wolfschmidt, G. (eds.). Astronomy in Culture - Cultures of Astronomy, Featuring the Proceedings of a splinter meeting in the German Astronomical Society. tredition, Ahrensburg.</ref>.		The research is documented and published in Stellarium software,<ref>Zotti, G., Hoffmann, S. M., Wolf, A., Chéreau, F., & Chéreau, G. (2021). The Simulated Sky: Stellarium for Cultural Astronomy Research. Journal of Skyscape Archaeology, 6(2), 221–258. DOI: 10.1558/jsa.17822</ref> available as a public dataset in the Stellarium GitHub Repository<ref>Stellarium Repo https://zenodo.org/records/20835040<nowiki/>Stellarium's official Zenodo Digital Object Identifier (DOI) 10.5281/zenodo.20835040</ref> and the description by Khalid AlAjaji is also published in paper form in the conference proceedings Hoffmann and Wolfschmidt (eds. 2022)<ref>Khalid AlAjaji (2022). Stellarium Sky Culture "Arabian Peninsula", in Hoffmann, S. and Wolfschmidt, G. (eds.). Astronomy in Culture - Cultures of Astronomy, Featuring the Proceedings of a splinter meeting in the German Astronomical Society. tredition, Ahrensburg.</ref>. In Stellarium it is written (by Khalid AlAjaji): <blockquote>'''The Wool Spindle:''' The cross-shaped arrangement of α Cyg (Deneb), ε Cyg (Gienah), γ Cyg (Sadr), δ Cyg, and β1+β2 Cyg (Albireo). This comes from oral tradition in Zulfi, central Saudi Arabia [#1]<ref>Reference [#1] in this case is "Oral Tradition" documented by the author of this sky culture, Khalid AlAjaji. </ref>. </blockquote>

	==== Stars Identification ====		==== Stars Identification ====

Sushoff at 07:24, 16 July 2026

2026-07-16T07:24:11Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:24, 16 July 2026
Line 18:		Line 18:

	===Sources and Identification===		===Sources and Identification===
	The name comes from local oral tradition, recorded by Khalid al-Ajaji in October 2016 during a star-gazing session in the dunes of Ṯuwayrāt in the [[wikipedia:Al-Zulfi\|al-Zulfī]] region, northwest of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.		The name comes from local oral tradition, recorded by Khalid al-Ajaji in October 2016 during a star-gazing session in the dunes of Ṯuwayrāt in the [[wikipedia:Al-Zulfi\|al-Zulfī]] region, northwest of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The identification was made directly at the time, when the informant pointed to the cross-shaped stars of Cygnus, visible from shortly after sunset until after midnight.
	The identification was made directly at the time, when the informant pointed to the cross-shaped stars of Cygnus, visible from shortly after sunset until after midnight.
			The research is documented and published in Stellarium software,<ref>Zotti, G., Hoffmann, S. M., Wolf, A., Chéreau, F., & Chéreau, G. (2021). The Simulated Sky: Stellarium for Cultural Astronomy Research. Journal of Skyscape Archaeology, 6(2), 221–258. DOI: 10.1558/jsa.17822</ref> available as a public dataset in the Stellarium GitHub Repository<ref>Stellarium Repo https://zenodo.org/records/20835040<nowiki/>Stellarium's official Zenodo Digital Object Identifier (DOI) 10.5281/zenodo.20835040</ref> and the description by Khalid AlAjaji is also published in paper form in the conference proceedings Hoffmann and Wolfschmidt (eds. 2022)<ref>Khalid AlAjaji (2022). Stellarium Sky Culture "Arabian Peninsula", in Hoffmann, S. and Wolfschmidt, G. (eds.). Astronomy in Culture - Cultures of Astronomy, Featuring the Proceedings of a splinter meeting in the German Astronomical Society. tredition, Ahrensburg.</ref>.

	==== Stars Identification ====		==== Stars Identification ====

Sushoff: /* IAU Working Group Star Names */

2026-07-15T10:51:33Z

IAU Working Group Star Names

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:51, 15 July 2026
Line 28:		Line 28:
	==IAU Working Group Star Names==		==IAU Working Group Star Names==

	In ~~202x~~, the name ~~...~~ was ~~suggest~~ as a star name in the area that is covered by the historical asterism. It is suggested to be used for ...		In 2026, the name al-Miġzal (or any spelling variant) was suggested as a star name in the area that is covered by the historical asterism. It is suggested to be used for ...

	WGSN decided in ... 202x to name ... ...		WGSN decided in ... 202x to name ... ...

Sushoff at 08:36, 15 July 2026

2026-07-15T08:36:03Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:36, 15 July 2026
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	----		----
	[[File:Almighzal.png\|thumb\|Star chart of the Arabian asterism ''al-Miġzal'' (المِغْزَل). (CC BY Khalid AlAjaji 2026).]]		[[File:Almighzal.png\|thumb\|Star chart of the Arabian asterism ''al-Miġzal'' (المِغْزَل). (CC BY Khalid AlAjaji 2026).]]
	'''al-Miġzal''' (Arabic: المِغْزَل), “the wool spindle” is an Arabic name for the stars forming a cross shape in Cygnus.~~<gallery widths="240" heights="360" perrow="1">~~		'''al-Miġzal''' (Arabic: المِغْزَل), “the wool spindle” is an Arabic name for the stars forming a cross shape in Cygnus.
	File:Service-pnp-matpc-03700-03790v.jpg\|Bedouin shepherdess spinning. Source: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Digital ID: matpc 03790 https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/matpc.03790 [https://www.loc.gov/resource/matpc.03790/ Original image on loc.gov]
	~~</gallery>~~

	==Provenance, Etymology, History==		==Provenance, Etymology, History==
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	The name al-Miġzal is used regionally in central Saudi Arabia.		The name al-Miġzal is used regionally in central Saudi Arabia.
	[[File:Al-Miġzal.png\|thumb\|Al-Miġzal asterism in Cygnus. Photo by Khalid al-Ajaji taken on October 2016, the time of the identification of the name and its stars. (CC BY Khalid AlAjaji 2026).]]		[[File:Al-Miġzal.png\|thumb\|Al-Miġzal asterism in Cygnus. Photo by Khalid al-Ajaji taken on October 2016, the time of the identification of the name and its stars. (CC BY Khalid AlAjaji 2026).]]
			<gallery widths="240" heights="360" perrow="1">
			File:Service-pnp-matpc-03700-03790v.jpg\|Bedouin shepherdess spinning. Source: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Digital ID: matpc 03790 https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/matpc.03790 [https://www.loc.gov/resource/matpc.03790/ Original image on loc.gov]
			</gallery>

	===Etymology===		===Etymology===