Shatabhisha - Revision history

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2026-02-22T13:39:17Z

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	Śatabhiṣa (शतभिषक्/शततारका in Sanskrit) is the 24th of the 27 Nakshatras. As a Sanskrit name. Śatabhiṣa means "hundred physicians" and is at least 3000 years old. Roughly 1000 years ago, it was misinterpreted "a hundred stars" in temple depictions, although early texts describe only four.		Śatabhiṣa (शतभिषक्/शततारका in Sanskrit) is the 24th of the 27 Nakshatras. As a Sanskrit name. Śatabhiṣa means "hundred physicians" and is at least 3000 years old. Roughly 1000 years ago, it was misinterpreted "a hundred stars" in temple depictions, although early texts describe only four.

	In 2025, WGSN decided to ~~resemble~~ this Vedic name by naming the "yogatara" (main star) of the nakshatra with this term: λ Aqr is a cool red giant star with a surface temperature of roughly 3700 K. ~~It's~~ position close to the ecliptic was not only interesting for historical calendar makers. During recent lunar occultations, a faint companion was discovered with speckle interferometry; it is likely a main-sequence star.<ref>Dyachenko, V., Richichi, A., Balega, Yu., Beskakotov, A., Maksimov, A. and Rastegaev, D. (2016). Lunar Occultation and Speckle Interferomerty of λ Aquarii with the SAO RAS 6-Meter Telescope, in: Stars: From Collapse to Collapse, Proceedings of a conference held at Special Astrophysical Observatory, Nizhny Arkhyz, Russia 3-7 October 2016. Edited by Yu. Yu. Balega, D. O. Kudryavtsev, I. I. Romanyuk, and I. A. Yakunin. San Francisco: Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 2017, p.336		In 2025, WGSN decided to commemorate this Vedic name by naming the "yogatara" (main star) of the nakshatra with this term: λ Aqr is a cool red giant star with a surface temperature of roughly 3700 K. Its position close to the ecliptic was not only interesting for historical calendar makers. During recent lunar occultations, a faint companion was discovered with speckle interferometry; it is likely a main-sequence star.<ref>Dyachenko, V., Richichi, A., Balega, Yu., Beskakotov, A., Maksimov, A. and Rastegaev, D. (2016). Lunar Occultation and Speckle Interferomerty of λ Aquarii with the SAO RAS 6-Meter Telescope, in: Stars: From Collapse to Collapse, Proceedings of a conference held at Special Astrophysical Observatory, Nizhny Arkhyz, Russia 3-7 October 2016. Edited by Yu. Yu. Balega, D. O. Kudryavtsev, I. I. Romanyuk, and I. A. Yakunin. San Francisco: Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 2017, p.336

	[https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017ASPC..510..336D/abstract ADSABS]</ref>		[https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017ASPC..510..336D/abstract ADSABS]</ref>

	==Etymology, History, Concordance==		==Etymology, History, Concordance==
	The system of nakshatras for marking the path of the ~~moon~~ (and the ~~sun~~) has been prevalent for almost 5000 years since the epics and older texts on astronomy mention the 27 asterisms with their determinative stars.		The system of nakshatras for marking the path of the Moon (and the Sun) has been prevalent for almost 5000 years since the epics and older texts on astronomy mention the 27 asterisms with their determinative stars.

	'''Spelling variants:'''		'''Spelling variants:'''
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	===Identifications===		===Identifications===
	[[File:Satabhisa stickfigure SadeghFaghanpour-IAU-WGSN.jpg\|thumb\|Shatabhisha, stick figure, (CC BY Sadegh Faganpour for WGSN 2025).]]		[[File:Satabhisa stickfigure SadeghFaghanpour-IAU-WGSN.jpg\|thumb\|Shatabhisha, stick figure, (CC BY Sadegh Faganpour for WGSN 2025).]]
	The asterism is in temples depicted as a geometrically perfect formation of 100 small stars in circles and lines. This suggests that the term "Shatabhisa" originally was used to describe the area with countless faint stars that do not form any recognizable pattern (and that was interpreted as the water in ~~the outlet of a~~ [[Aquarius]] ~~Water-pourer~~ in ancient Greece).		The asterism is in temples depicted as a geometrically perfect formation of 100 small stars in circles and lines. This suggests that the term "Shatabhisa" originally was used to describe the area with countless faint stars that do not form any recognizable pattern (and that was interpreted as the water in [[Aquarius]] in ancient Greece).

	Vedic nakshatras were typically characterized (e.g. on astrolabes in Early Modern time or in historical star lists/ catalogues) by their main star. The main star (''yogatara'') of this asterism was λ Aquarii.		Vedic nakshatras were typically characterized (e.g. on astrolabes in Early Modern time or in historical star lists/ catalogues) by their main star. The main star (''yogatara'') of this asterism was λ Aquarii.
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	\|-		\|-
	\|3		\|3
	\|ζ 1 Aquarii		\|ζ<sup>1</sup> Aquarii
	\|HIP 110960		\|HIP 110960
	\|Constellation lines (Vertex)		\|Constellation lines (Vertex)
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	\|-		\|-
	\|6		\|6
	\|τ 2 Aquarii		\|τ<sup>2</sup> Aquarii
	\|HIP 112716		\|HIP 112716
	\| Inside the hull		\| Inside the hull
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	\|-		\|-
	\|8		\|8
	\|ψ 1 Aquarii		\|ψ<sup>1</sup> Aquarii
	\| HIP 114855		\| HIP 114855
	\|Constellation lines		\|Constellation lines
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	\|-		\|-
	\|9		\|9
	\|* ~~zet02~~ Aqr		\|* zet<sup>02</sup> Aqr
	\|HIP 110960		\|HIP 110960
	\|Constellation lines (Vertex)		\|Constellation lines (Vertex)
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	\|-		\|-
	\|10		\|10
	\| ψ 2 Aquarii		\| ψ<sup>2</sup> Aquarii
	\|HIP 115033		\|HIP 115033
	\|Constellation lines		\|Constellation lines
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	\|-		\|-
	\|12		\|12
	\|ω 2 Aquarii		\|ω<sup>2</sup> Aquarii
	\| HIP 116971		\| HIP 116971
	\|Constellation lines (Vertex)		\|Constellation lines (Vertex)
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	\|-		\|-
	\|14		\|14
	\|ω 1 Aquarii		\|ω<sup>1</sup> Aquarii
	\|HIP 116758		\|HIP 116758
	\|Inside the hull		\|Inside the hull
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	\|-		\|-
	\| 15		\| 15
	\| ψ 3 Aquarii		\| ψ<sup>3</sup> Aquarii
	\|HIP 115115		\|HIP 115115
	\|Inside the hull		\|Inside the hull
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	\|-		\|-
	\|27		\|27
	\|τ 1 Aquarii		\|τ<sup>1</sup> Aquarii
	\|HIP 112542		\|HIP 112542
	\|Inside the hull		\|Inside the hull
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	The star λ Aquarii is considered the determinative star of the nakshatra.<ref name=":0" /> Alternatively, in particular in mantic circles, alternatively γ Aqr is used (probably a reading or writing error). The identification with λ Aqr with Śatabhiṣa can be traced to the early works of Colebrook, Bentley, Whitney and Burgess, corroborated by Indian authors who were well versed with Siddhanta and European astronomy; they include Keropant, Bapudeva Sastry, V B Ketkar and S B Dikshit (all scholars of 19th century). We<ref>R. Venketeswara Pai and B. S. Shylaja , 2016, Measurement of coordinates of Nakśatras in Indian astronomy, Current Science, vol 111, issue 9, 1551-8</ref> checked the coordinates from the catalogue of Nityananda (15th century) and they match: There are no star maps with the names written down. The only chart that is available in Jaipur collection was prepared by Madho Singh (son of Sawai Jai Singh, who built the famous masonry instruments). It is a chart (T006, online catalogue of Sarma, 2023<ref>Sarma, S.R., 2023. A descriptive catalogue of Indian Astronomical Instruments MS https://srsarma.in/catalogue.php</ref>) for identifying the time of meridian transits of stars. The red pointers give the transit time; the black ones provide rise and times. From the chart we can read 56:32 ''ghaṭi'' for Śatabhiṣa. We need to understand this in the Indian system, which has a day is divided into 60 ghaṭi. On this scale for example, the meridian transit of Antares (Jyeṣṭha) occurs at 40:34 as per the Table. The difference 15:58 ''ghaṭi'' gets converted to 6<sup>h</sup> 23<sup>min</sup> (with 1 ''ghaṭi'' = 24 minutes). This is exactly the difference in their Right Ascensions, 22:52 - 16:29 = 6:23 (from stellarium).		The star λ Aquarii is considered the determinative star of the nakshatra.<ref name=":0" /> Alternatively, in particular in mantic circles, alternatively γ Aqr is used (probably a reading or writing error). The identification with λ Aqr with Śatabhiṣa can be traced to the early works of Colebrook, Bentley, Whitney and Burgess, corroborated by Indian authors who were well versed with Siddhanta and European astronomy; they include Keropant, Bapudeva Sastry, V B Ketkar and S B Dikshit (all scholars of 19th century). We<ref>R. Venketeswara Pai and B. S. Shylaja , 2016, Measurement of coordinates of Nakśatras in Indian astronomy, Current Science, vol 111, issue 9, 1551-8</ref> checked the coordinates from the catalogue of Nityananda (15th century) and they match: There are no star maps with the names written down. The only chart that is available in Jaipur collection was prepared by Madho Singh (son of Sawai Jai Singh, who built the famous masonry instruments). It is a chart (T006, online catalogue of Sarma, 2023<ref>Sarma, S.R., 2023. A descriptive catalogue of Indian Astronomical Instruments MS https://srsarma.in/catalogue.php</ref>) for identifying the time of meridian transits of stars. The red pointers give the transit time; the black ones provide rise and times. From the chart we can read 56:32 ''ghaṭi'' for Śatabhiṣa. We need to understand this in the Indian system, which has a day is divided into 60 ghaṭi. On this scale for example, the meridian transit of Antares (Jyeṣṭha) occurs at 40:34 as per the Table. The difference 15:58 ''ghaṭi'' gets converted to 6<sup>h</sup> 23<sup>min</sup> (with 1 ''ghaṭi'' = 24 minutes). This is exactly the difference in their Right Ascensions, 22:52 - 16:29 = 6:23 (from stellarium).

	In India, "nakshatras" are used to mark the movement of the ~~moon~~. The path of the ~~moon~~ is visible in the sky as the ~~moon~~ occasionally covers stars in this rage of 5° around the ecliptic. λ Aquarii is directly at the ecliptic and therefore cannot only be covered by the ~~moon~~ but also by the planets which makes the star's position particularly interesting.		In India, "nakshatras" are used to mark the movement of the Moon. The path of the Moon is visible in the sky as the Moon occasionally covers stars in this rage of 5° around the ecliptic. λ Aquarii is directly at the ecliptic and therefore cannot only be covered by the Moon but also by the planets which makes the star's position particularly interesting.

	===Modern India===		===Modern India===
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	== IAU Working Group Star Names==		== IAU Working Group Star Names==
	The name was discussed and approved by the IAU WGSN in 2024. Studies of Vedic culture and the development of the nakshatras suggest that only λ Aqr can be named with the nakshatra's name. However, the star is in America and Europe also known with the name "Hydor". Allen (1899) lists both names and some others. As new results in concerning the history of the Greek constellations turned out that the term "[[hydor]]" (water) was originally not a name for a star but for a huge area in the sky surrounding the Greek ''sea''-monster Ketos (Latinized [[Cetus]]), WGSN decided in 2025 to use the Greek term for any one of the many stars in this huge area, and to use "Shatabhisha" as the proper name for ~~the~~ λ Aqr.		The name was discussed and approved by the IAU WGSN in 2024. Studies of Vedic culture and the development of the nakshatras suggest that only λ Aqr can be named with the nakshatra's name. However, the star is in America and Europe also known with the name "Hydor". Allen (1899) lists both names and some others. As new results in concerning the history of the Greek constellations turned out that the term "[[hydor]]" (water) was originally not a name for a star but for a huge area in the sky surrounding the Greek ''sea''-monster Ketos (Latinized [[Cetus]]), WGSN decided in 2025 to use the Greek term for any one of the many stars in this huge area, and to use "Shatabhisha" as the proper name for λ Aqr.

	WGSN chose to use the spelling variant "Shatabhisha" with two "sh" in the IAU-CSN, as this comes closest to the pronunciation in the original language.		WGSN chose to use the spelling variant "Shatabhisha" with two "sh" in the IAU-CSN, as this comes closest to the pronunciation in the original language.

Sushoff at 13:51, 20 January 2026

2026-01-20T13:51:03Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:51, 20 January 2026
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	{{DISPLAYTITLE:Śatabhiṣa (शतभिषक्)}}		{{DISPLAYTITLE:Śatabhiṣa (शतभिषक्)}}
			Authors: {{PAGEAUTHORS}}
			----
	[[File:Satabisa nakshatras in Temple draw+lbl 4ase.jpg\|thumb\|Shatabhisha, temple]]		[[File:Satabisa nakshatras in Temple draw+lbl 4ase.jpg\|thumb\|Shatabhisha, temple]]
	[[File:24 naks Shatabhisha stellarium.gif\|thumb\|The Shatabhisa asterism covers an area in Aqr with countless faint stars. ]]		[[File:24 naks Shatabhisha stellarium.gif\|thumb\|The Shatabhisa asterism covers an area in Aqr with countless faint stars. ]]

Sushoff at 17:27, 14 December 2025

2025-12-14T17:27:21Z

Show changes

Sushoff at 08:43, 31 October 2025

2025-10-31T08:43:43Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:43, 31 October 2025
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	{{DISPLAYTITLE:Śatabhiṣa (शतभिषक्)}}		{{DISPLAYTITLE:Śatabhiṣa (शतभिषक्)}}
	[[File:~~24 Shatabhisa~~ draw.~~png~~\|thumb\|Shatabhisha ~~is literally depicted with 100 stars in temples.~~ ]]		[[File:Satabisa nakshatras in Temple draw+lbl 4ase.jpg\|thumb\|Shatabhisha, temple]]
	[[File:24 naks Shatabhisha stellarium.gif\|thumb\|The Shatabhisa asterism covers an area in Aqr with countless faint stars. ]]		[[File:24 naks Shatabhisha stellarium.gif\|thumb\|The Shatabhisa asterism covers an area in Aqr with countless faint stars. ]]

	Śatabhiṣa (शतभिषक्/शततारका in Sanskrit) is the 24th of the 27 Nakshatras. As a Sanskrit name. Śatabhiṣa means "hundred physicians" and is at least 3000 years old. Roughly 1000 years ago, it was misinterpreted "a hundred stars" in temple depictions, although early texts describe only four.		Śatabhiṣa (शतभिषक्/शततारका in Sanskrit) is the 24th of the 27 Nakshatras. As a Sanskrit name. Śatabhiṣa means "hundred physicians" and is at least 3000 years old. Roughly 1000 years ago, it was misinterpreted "a hundred stars" in temple depictions, although early texts describe only four.

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	Vedic nakshatras were typically characterized (e.g. on astrolabes in Early Modern time or in historical star lists/ catalogues) by their main star. The main star (''yogatara'') of this asterism was λ Aquarii.		Vedic nakshatras were typically characterized (e.g. on astrolabes in Early Modern time or in historical star lists/ catalogues) by their main star. The main star (''yogatara'') of this asterism was λ Aquarii.

			=== Transfer and Transformation ===
			<gallery>
			File:Satabisa nakshatras in Temple draw+lbl 4ase.jpg\|Shatabhisha 10th century
			File:Nakshatra temple magDraw lbl.jpg\|Display of all 28th nakshatras in silver arch with candles in Tirupperunthurai (Athmanathaswamy temple) near Aranthangi, India, 10th century CE. (SMH 2025).
			File:Nakshatras in Temple draw+lbl 4ase.jpg\|Display of all 28th nakshatras in a door frame in Tirupperunthurai (Athmanathaswamy temple) near Aranthangi, India, 10th century CE. (SMH 2025).
			File:Tibet nakshatra 23.png\|Shatabhisha, Tibetean
			File:危宿（仏像図彙）.png\|Shatabhisha, Chinese
			File:24 Shatabhisa draw.png\|Shatabhisha as "100 stars", reconstructed by Joes (1720)
			</gallery>

	===Main Star (Yogatara)===		===Main Star (Yogatara)===

Sushoff at 15:50, 13 October 2025

2025-10-13T15:50:05Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:50, 13 October 2025
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	{{DISPLAYTITLE:~~Shatabhisha~~ (शतभिषक्)}}		{{DISPLAYTITLE:Śatabhiṣa (शतभिषक्)}}
	[[File:24 Shatabhisa draw.png\|thumb\|Shatabhisha is literally depicted with 100 stars in temples. ]]		[[File:24 Shatabhisa draw.png\|thumb\|Shatabhisha is literally depicted with 100 stars in temples. ]]
	[[File:24 naks Shatabhisha stellarium.gif\|thumb\|The Shatabhisa asterism covers an area in Aqr with countless faint stars. ]]		[[File:24 naks Shatabhisha stellarium.gif\|thumb\|The Shatabhisa asterism covers an area in Aqr with countless faint stars. ]]
	शतभिषक्/शततारका ~~(Sanscrit for Satabhisa~~) is the 24th of the 27 Nakshatras. As a Sanskrit name. Śatabhiṣa means "hundred physicians" and is at least 3000 years old. Roughly 1000 years ago, it was misinterpreted "a hundred stars" in temple depictions, although early texts describe only four.		Śatabhiṣa (शतभिषक्/शततारका in Sanskrit) is the 24th of the 27 Nakshatras. As a Sanskrit name. Śatabhiṣa means "hundred physicians" and is at least 3000 years old. Roughly 1000 years ago, it was misinterpreted "a hundred stars" in temple depictions, although early texts describe only four.

	In 2025, WGSN decided to resemble this Vedic name by naming the "yogatara" (main star) of the nakshatra with this term: λ Aqr is a cool red giant star with a surface temperature of roughly 3700 K. It's position close to the ecliptic was not only interesting for historical calendar makers. During recent lunar occultations, a faint companion was discovered with speckle interferometry; it is likely a main-sequence star.<ref>Dyachenko, V., Richichi, A., Balega, Yu., Beskakotov, A., Maksimov, A. and Rastegaev, D. (2016). Lunar Occultation and Speckle Interferomerty of λ Aquarii with the SAO RAS 6-Meter Telescope, in: Stars: From Collapse to Collapse, Proceedings of a conference held at Special Astrophysical Observatory, Nizhny Arkhyz, Russia 3-7 October 2016. Edited by Yu. Yu. Balega, D. O. Kudryavtsev, I. I. Romanyuk, and I. A. Yakunin. San Francisco: Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 2017, p.336		In 2025, WGSN decided to resemble this Vedic name by naming the "yogatara" (main star) of the nakshatra with this term: λ Aqr is a cool red giant star with a surface temperature of roughly 3700 K. It's position close to the ecliptic was not only interesting for historical calendar makers. During recent lunar occultations, a faint companion was discovered with speckle interferometry; it is likely a main-sequence star.<ref>Dyachenko, V., Richichi, A., Balega, Yu., Beskakotov, A., Maksimov, A. and Rastegaev, D. (2016). Lunar Occultation and Speckle Interferomerty of λ Aquarii with the SAO RAS 6-Meter Telescope, in: Stars: From Collapse to Collapse, Proceedings of a conference held at Special Astrophysical Observatory, Nizhny Arkhyz, Russia 3-7 October 2016. Edited by Yu. Yu. Balega, D. O. Kudryavtsev, I. I. Romanyuk, and I. A. Yakunin. San Francisco: Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 2017, p.336
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	The system of nakshatras for marking the path of the moon (and the sun) has been prevalent for almost 5000 years since the epics and older texts on astronomy mention the 27 asterisms with their determinative stars.		The system of nakshatras for marking the path of the moon (and the sun) has been prevalent for almost 5000 years since the epics and older texts on astronomy mention the 27 asterisms with their determinative stars.

	Spelling variants:		'''Spelling variants:'''

	* Śatabhiṣaj (root word, used as adjective);		*Śatabhiṣaj (root word, used as adjective);
	* Śatabhiṣak (nominative case),		*Śatabhiṣak (nominative case),
	* Śatabhiṣa,		*Śatabhiṣa,
	* Satabhisa (without diacritics),		*Satabhisa (without diacritics),
	* Shatabhisha (without diacritics, matching pronunciation),		*Shatabhisha (without diacritics, matching pronunciation),
			'''Name Variant'''
			*Varunarksha

	=== Etymology of the name ===		===Etymology of the name===
	This nakshatra consists of four stars but the name consisting of the term "sata" for "100" led to the misinterpretation that there were one hundred stars. The earliest identification of the name getting associated with 100 stars by Varahamihira of 7th century has been carried forward.<ref name=":0">Shankar Balkrishna Dixit (1981). Indian Astronomy History (Bharatiya Jyotish Sastra 2). Orig. Sanscrit, translated to English by R. V. Vaidya, Delhi		This nakshatra consists of four stars but the name consisting of the term "sata" for "100" led to the misinterpretation that there were one hundred stars. The earliest identification of the name getting associated with 100 stars by Varahamihira of 7th century has been carried forward.<ref name=":0">Shankar Balkrishna Dixit (1981). Indian Astronomy History (Bharatiya Jyotish Sastra 2). Orig. Sanscrit, translated to English by R. V. Vaidya, Delhi
	</ref> The works prior to that refer to it as one to four star(s),<ref name=":0" /> see table on p. 344. Because of this misinterpretation, the asterism is sometimes referred to as '''śatatārā''' (also meaning 100 stars).		</ref> The works prior to that refer to it as one to four star(s),<ref name=":0" /> see table on p. 344. Because of this misinterpretation, the asterism is sometimes referred to as '''śatatārā''' (also meaning 100 stars).
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	The word's literal meaning is ‘100 physicians’ (p. 346) – the origin for the number 100 remains unknown.<ref name=":0" />		The word's literal meaning is ‘100 physicians’ (p. 346) – the origin for the number 100 remains unknown.<ref name=":0" />

	=== Identifications ===		===Identifications===
	[[File:Satabhisa stickfigure SadeghFaghanpour-IAU-WGSN.jpg\|thumb\|Shatabhisha, stick figure, (CC BY Sadegh Faganpour for WGSN 2025).]]		[[File:Satabhisa stickfigure SadeghFaghanpour-IAU-WGSN.jpg\|thumb\|Shatabhisha, stick figure, (CC BY Sadegh Faganpour for WGSN 2025).]]
	The asterism is in temples depicted as a geometrically perfect formation of 100 small stars in circles and lines. This suggests that the term "Shatabhisa" originally was used to describe the area with countless faint stars that do not form any recognizable pattern (and that was interpreted as the water in the outlet of a [[Aquarius]] Water-pourer in ancient Greece).		The asterism is in temples depicted as a geometrically perfect formation of 100 small stars in circles and lines. This suggests that the term "Shatabhisa" originally was used to describe the area with countless faint stars that do not form any recognizable pattern (and that was interpreted as the water in the outlet of a [[Aquarius]] Water-pourer in ancient Greece).
Line 31:		Line 33:
	Vedic nakshatras were typically characterized (e.g. on astrolabes in Early Modern time or in historical star lists/ catalogues) by their main star. The main star (''yogatara'') of this asterism was λ Aquarii.		Vedic nakshatras were typically characterized (e.g. on astrolabes in Early Modern time or in historical star lists/ catalogues) by their main star. The main star (''yogatara'') of this asterism was λ Aquarii.

	=== Main Star (Yogatara) ===		===Main Star (Yogatara)===
	[[File:Satabhisa profileCard SadeghFaghanpour-IAU-WGSN.jpg\|thumb\|Shatabhisha as IAU-star name and yogatara, profile card, (CC BY Sadegh Faganpour for WGSN 2025).]]		[[File:Satabhisa profileCard SadeghFaghanpour-IAU-WGSN.jpg\|thumb\|Shatabhisha as IAU-star name and yogatara, profile card, (CC BY Sadegh Faganpour for WGSN 2025).]]
	The star λ Aquarii is considered the determinative star of the nakshatra.<ref name=":0" /> Alternatively, in particular in mantic circles, alternatively γ Aqr is used (probably a reading or writing error). The identification with λ Aqr with Śatabhiṣa can be traced to the early works of Colebrook, Bentley, Whitney and Burgess, corroborated by Indian authors who were well versed with Siddhanta and European astronomy; they include Keropant, Bapudeva Sastry, V B Ketkar and S B Dikshit (all scholars of 19th century). We<ref>R. Venketeswara Pai and B. S. Shylaja , 2016, Measurement of coordinates of Nakśatras in Indian astronomy, Current Science, vol 111, issue 9, 1551-8</ref> checked the coordinates from the catalogue of Nityananda (15th century) and they match: There are no star maps with the names written down. The only chart that is available in Jaipur collection was prepared by Madho Singh (son of Sawai Jai Singh, who built the famous masonry instruments). It is a chart (T006, online catalogue of Sarma, 2023<ref>Sarma, S.R., 2023. A descriptive catalogue of Indian Astronomical Instruments MS https://srsarma.in/catalogue.php</ref>) for identifying the time of meridian transits of stars. The red pointers give the transit time; the black ones provide rise and times. From the chart we can read 56:32 ''ghaṭi'' for Śatabhiṣa. We need to understand this in the Indian system, which has a day is divided into 60 ghaṭi. On this scale for example, the meridian transit of Antares (Jyeṣṭha) occurs at 40:34 as per the Table. The difference 15:58 ''ghaṭi'' gets converted to 6<sup>h</sup> 23<sup>min</sup> (with 1 ''ghaṭi'' = 24 minutes). This is exactly the difference in their Right Ascensions, 22:52 - 16:29 = 6:23 (from stellarium).		The star λ Aquarii is considered the determinative star of the nakshatra.<ref name=":0" /> Alternatively, in particular in mantic circles, alternatively γ Aqr is used (probably a reading or writing error). The identification with λ Aqr with Śatabhiṣa can be traced to the early works of Colebrook, Bentley, Whitney and Burgess, corroborated by Indian authors who were well versed with Siddhanta and European astronomy; they include Keropant, Bapudeva Sastry, V B Ketkar and S B Dikshit (all scholars of 19th century). We<ref>R. Venketeswara Pai and B. S. Shylaja , 2016, Measurement of coordinates of Nakśatras in Indian astronomy, Current Science, vol 111, issue 9, 1551-8</ref> checked the coordinates from the catalogue of Nityananda (15th century) and they match: There are no star maps with the names written down. The only chart that is available in Jaipur collection was prepared by Madho Singh (son of Sawai Jai Singh, who built the famous masonry instruments). It is a chart (T006, online catalogue of Sarma, 2023<ref>Sarma, S.R., 2023. A descriptive catalogue of Indian Astronomical Instruments MS https://srsarma.in/catalogue.php</ref>) for identifying the time of meridian transits of stars. The red pointers give the transit time; the black ones provide rise and times. From the chart we can read 56:32 ''ghaṭi'' for Śatabhiṣa. We need to understand this in the Indian system, which has a day is divided into 60 ghaṭi. On this scale for example, the meridian transit of Antares (Jyeṣṭha) occurs at 40:34 as per the Table. The difference 15:58 ''ghaṭi'' gets converted to 6<sup>h</sup> 23<sup>min</sup> (with 1 ''ghaṭi'' = 24 minutes). This is exactly the difference in their Right Ascensions, 22:52 - 16:29 = 6:23 (from stellarium).
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	In India, "nakshatras" are used to mark the movement of the moon. The path of the moon is visible in the sky as the moon occasionally covers stars in this rage of 5° around the ecliptic. λ Aquarii is directly at the ecliptic and therefore cannot only be covered by the moon but also by the planets which makes the star's position particularly interesting.		In India, "nakshatras" are used to mark the movement of the moon. The path of the moon is visible in the sky as the moon occasionally covers stars in this rage of 5° around the ecliptic. λ Aquarii is directly at the ecliptic and therefore cannot only be covered by the moon but also by the planets which makes the star's position particularly interesting.

	=== Modern India ===		===Modern India===
	In modern Indian planetariums and popular astronomy, the name Satabhisa is used for the star λ Aquarii (that stands pars pro toto for the nakshatra).		In modern Indian planetariums and popular astronomy, the name Satabhisa is used for the star λ Aquarii (that stands pars pro toto for the nakshatra).

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	There is a mantic meaning of all nakshatras. Each of them is ruled by a planet and a deity. The "Lord" of Satabhisa is the north lunar node (Rahu), the deity is Varuna, the god of cosmic waters, sky and Earth. The nakshatra covers the section of the zodiac 13° 46 to 27°06 Pisces (which now lays in the constellation of Aquarius due to precession).		There is a mantic meaning of all nakshatras. Each of them is ruled by a planet and a deity. The "Lord" of Satabhisa is the north lunar node (Rahu), the deity is Varuna, the god of cosmic waters, sky and Earth. The nakshatra covers the section of the zodiac 13° 46 to 27°06 Pisces (which now lays in the constellation of Aquarius due to precession).

	==IAU Working Group Star Names==		== IAU Working Group Star Names==
	The name was discussed and approved by the IAU WGSN in 2024. Studies of Vedic culture and the development of the nakshatras suggest that only λ Aqr can be named with the nakshatra's name. However, the star is in America and Europe also known with the name "Hydor". Allen (1899) lists both names and some others. As new results in concerning the history of the Greek constellations turned out that the term "[[hydor]]" (water) was originally not a name for a star but for a huge area in the sky surrounding the Greek ''sea''-monster Ketos (Latinized [[Cetus]]), WGSN decided in 2025 to use the Greek term for any one of the many stars in this huge area, and to use "Shatabhisha" as the proper name for the λ Aqr.		The name was discussed and approved by the IAU WGSN in 2024. Studies of Vedic culture and the development of the nakshatras suggest that only λ Aqr can be named with the nakshatra's name. However, the star is in America and Europe also known with the name "Hydor". Allen (1899) lists both names and some others. As new results in concerning the history of the Greek constellations turned out that the term "[[hydor]]" (water) was originally not a name for a star but for a huge area in the sky surrounding the Greek ''sea''-monster Ketos (Latinized [[Cetus]]), WGSN decided in 2025 to use the Greek term for any one of the many stars in this huge area, and to use "Shatabhisha" as the proper name for the λ Aqr.

	WGSN chose to use the spelling variant "Shatabhisha" with two "sh" in the IAU-CSN, as this comes closest to the pronunciation in the original language.		WGSN chose to use the spelling variant "Shatabhisha" with two "sh" in the IAU-CSN, as this comes closest to the pronunciation in the original language.

	== Reference ==		==Reference ==

	* https://archive.org/details/BharatiyaJyotishSastra2		*https://archive.org/details/BharatiyaJyotishSastra2
	* Sarma, S.R., 2023. A descriptive catalogue of Indian Astronomical Instruments MS https://srsarma.in/catalogue.php		*Sarma, S.R., 2023. A descriptive catalogue of Indian Astronomical Instruments MS https://srsarma.in/catalogue.php

	[[Category:Single star-asterism‏‎]]		[[Category:Single star-asterism‏‎]]
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	[[Category:Eurasia]]		[[Category:Eurasia]]
	[[Category:South Asian]]		[[Category:South Asian]]
	[[Category:Indian]][[Category:Zodiac]]		[[Category:Indian]]
			[[Category:Zodiac]]
	[[Category:Aqr]]		[[Category:Aqr]]

			<references />

Sushoff at 07:18, 30 September 2025

2025-09-30T07:18:45Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:18, 30 September 2025
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	=== Identifications ===		=== Identifications ===
			[[File:Satabhisa stickfigure SadeghFaghanpour-IAU-WGSN.jpg\|thumb\|Shatabhisha, stick figure, (CC BY Sadegh Faganpour for WGSN 2025).]]
	The asterism is in temples depicted as a geometrically perfect formation of 100 small stars in circles and lines. This suggests that the term "Shatabhisa" originally was used to describe the area with countless faint stars that do not form any recognizable pattern (and that was interpreted as the water in the outlet of a [[Aquarius]] Water-pourer in ancient Greece).		The asterism is in temples depicted as a geometrically perfect formation of 100 small stars in circles and lines. This suggests that the term "Shatabhisa" originally was used to describe the area with countless faint stars that do not form any recognizable pattern (and that was interpreted as the water in the outlet of a [[Aquarius]] Water-pourer in ancient Greece).

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	=== Main Star (Yogatara) ===		=== Main Star (Yogatara) ===
			[[File:Satabhisa profileCard SadeghFaghanpour-IAU-WGSN.jpg\|thumb\|Shatabhisha as IAU-star name and yogatara, profile card, (CC BY Sadegh Faganpour for WGSN 2025).]]
	The star λ Aquarii is considered the determinative star of the nakshatra.<ref name=":0" /> Alternatively, in particular in mantic circles, alternatively γ Aqr is used (probably a reading or writing error). The identification with λ Aqr with Śatabhiṣa can be traced to the early works of Colebrook, Bentley, Whitney and Burgess, corroborated by Indian authors who were well versed with Siddhanta and European astronomy; they include Keropant, Bapudeva Sastry, V B Ketkar and S B Dikshit (all scholars of 19th century). We<ref>R. Venketeswara Pai and B. S. Shylaja , 2016, Measurement of coordinates of Nakśatras in Indian astronomy, Current Science, vol 111, issue 9, 1551-8</ref> checked the coordinates from the catalogue of Nityananda (15th century) and they match: There are no star maps with the names written down. The only chart that is available in Jaipur collection was prepared by Madho Singh (son of Sawai Jai Singh, who built the famous masonry instruments). It is a chart (T006, online catalogue of Sarma, 2023<ref>Sarma, S.R., 2023. A descriptive catalogue of Indian Astronomical Instruments MS https://srsarma.in/catalogue.php</ref>) for identifying the time of meridian transits of stars. The red pointers give the transit time; the black ones provide rise and times. From the chart we can read 56:32 ''ghaṭi'' for Śatabhiṣa. We need to understand this in the Indian system, which has a day is divided into 60 ghaṭi. On this scale for example, the meridian transit of Antares (Jyeṣṭha) occurs at 40:34 as per the Table. The difference 15:58 ''ghaṭi'' gets converted to 6<sup>h</sup> 23<sup>min</sup> (with 1 ''ghaṭi'' = 24 minutes). This is exactly the difference in their Right Ascensions, 22:52 - 16:29 = 6:23 (from stellarium).		The star λ Aquarii is considered the determinative star of the nakshatra.<ref name=":0" /> Alternatively, in particular in mantic circles, alternatively γ Aqr is used (probably a reading or writing error). The identification with λ Aqr with Śatabhiṣa can be traced to the early works of Colebrook, Bentley, Whitney and Burgess, corroborated by Indian authors who were well versed with Siddhanta and European astronomy; they include Keropant, Bapudeva Sastry, V B Ketkar and S B Dikshit (all scholars of 19th century). We<ref>R. Venketeswara Pai and B. S. Shylaja , 2016, Measurement of coordinates of Nakśatras in Indian astronomy, Current Science, vol 111, issue 9, 1551-8</ref> checked the coordinates from the catalogue of Nityananda (15th century) and they match: There are no star maps with the names written down. The only chart that is available in Jaipur collection was prepared by Madho Singh (son of Sawai Jai Singh, who built the famous masonry instruments). It is a chart (T006, online catalogue of Sarma, 2023<ref>Sarma, S.R., 2023. A descriptive catalogue of Indian Astronomical Instruments MS https://srsarma.in/catalogue.php</ref>) for identifying the time of meridian transits of stars. The red pointers give the transit time; the black ones provide rise and times. From the chart we can read 56:32 ''ghaṭi'' for Śatabhiṣa. We need to understand this in the Indian system, which has a day is divided into 60 ghaṭi. On this scale for example, the meridian transit of Antares (Jyeṣṭha) occurs at 40:34 as per the Table. The difference 15:58 ''ghaṭi'' gets converted to 6<sup>h</sup> 23<sup>min</sup> (with 1 ''ghaṭi'' = 24 minutes). This is exactly the difference in their Right Ascensions, 22:52 - 16:29 = 6:23 (from stellarium).

Sushoff at 05:59, 30 September 2025

2025-09-30T05:59:46Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:59, 30 September 2025
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			{{DISPLAYTITLE:Shatabhisha (शतभिषक्)}}
	[[File:24 Shatabhisa draw.png\|thumb\|Shatabhisha is literally depicted with 100 stars in temples. ]]		[[File:24 Shatabhisa draw.png\|thumb\|Shatabhisha is literally depicted with 100 stars in temples. ]]
	[[File:24 naks Shatabhisha stellarium.gif\|thumb\|The Shatabhisa asterism covers an area in Aqr with countless faint stars. ]]		[[File:24 naks Shatabhisha stellarium.gif\|thumb\|The Shatabhisa asterism covers an area in Aqr with countless faint stars. ]]

Sushoff at 06:11, 21 September 2025

2025-09-21T06:11:05Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:11, 21 September 2025
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	=== Etymology of the name ===		=== Etymology of the name ===
	This nakshatra consists of four stars but the name consisting of the term "sata" for "100" led to the misinterpretation that there were one hundred stars. The earliest identification of the name getting associated with 100 stars by Varahamihira of 7th century has been carried forward.<ref name=":0">Shankar Balkrishna Dixit (1981). Indian Astronomy History (Bharatiya Jyotish Sastra 2). Orig. Sanscrit, translated to English by R. V. Vaidya, Delhi		This nakshatra consists of four stars but the name consisting of the term "sata" for "100" led to the misinterpretation that there were one hundred stars. The earliest identification of the name getting associated with 100 stars by Varahamihira of 7th century has been carried forward.<ref name=":0">Shankar Balkrishna Dixit (1981). Indian Astronomy History (Bharatiya Jyotish Sastra 2). Orig. Sanscrit, translated to English by R. V. Vaidya, Delhi
	</ref> The works prior to that refer to it as one to four star(s), <ref name=":0" /> see table on p. 344. Because of this misinterpretation, the asterism is sometimes referred to as '''śatatārā''' (also meaning 100 stars).		</ref> The works prior to that refer to it as one to four star(s),<ref name=":0" /> see table on p. 344. Because of this misinterpretation, the asterism is sometimes referred to as '''śatatārā''' (also meaning 100 stars).

	The word's literal meaning is ‘100 physicians’ (p. 346) – the origin for the number 100 remains unknown.<ref name=":0" />		The word's literal meaning is ‘100 physicians’ (p. 346) – the origin for the number 100 remains unknown.<ref name=":0" />

Sushoff at 06:10, 21 September 2025

2025-09-21T06:10:20Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:10, 21 September 2025
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	Spelling variants:		Spelling variants:

	* ~~Śatabhiṣa~~,		* Śatabhiṣaj (root word, used as adjective);
	* ~~Satabhisa~~,		* Śatabhiṣak (nominative case),
	* ~~Shatabhisha~~,		* Śatabhiṣa,
	* ~~Śatabhiṣaj~~ (~~as adjective~~);		* Satabhisa (without diacritics),
	* ~~Śatabhiṣak~~ ().		* Shatabhisha (without diacritics, matching pronunciation),

	=== Etymology of the name ===		=== Etymology of the name ===

Sushoff at 19:49, 20 September 2025

2025-09-20T19:49:32Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:49, 20 September 2025
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	[[File:24 Shatabhisa draw.png\|thumb\|Shatabhisha is literally depicted with 100 stars in temples. ]]		[[File:24 Shatabhisa draw.png\|thumb\|Shatabhisha is literally depicted with 100 stars in temples. ]]
	[[File:24 naks Shatabhisha stellarium.gif\|thumb\|The Shatabhisa asterism covers an area in Aqr with countless faint stars. ]]		[[File:24 naks Shatabhisha stellarium.gif\|thumb\|The Shatabhisa asterism covers an area in Aqr with countless faint stars. ]]
	शतभिषक्/शततारका (Sanscrit for Satabhisa) is the 24th of the 27 Nakshatras.		शतभिषक्/शततारका (Sanscrit for Satabhisa) is the 24th of the 27 Nakshatras. As a Sanskrit name. Śatabhiṣa means "hundred physicians" and is at least 3000 years old. Roughly 1000 years ago, it was misinterpreted "a hundred stars" in temple depictions, although early texts describe only four.

			In 2025, WGSN decided to resemble this Vedic name by naming the "yogatara" (main star) of the nakshatra with this term: λ Aqr is a cool red giant star with a surface temperature of roughly 3700 K. It's position close to the ecliptic was not only interesting for historical calendar makers. During recent lunar occultations, a faint companion was discovered with speckle interferometry; it is likely a main-sequence star.<ref>Dyachenko, V., Richichi, A., Balega, Yu., Beskakotov, A., Maksimov, A. and Rastegaev, D. (2016). Lunar Occultation and Speckle Interferomerty of λ Aquarii with the SAO RAS 6-Meter Telescope, in: Stars: From Collapse to Collapse, Proceedings of a conference held at Special Astrophysical Observatory, Nizhny Arkhyz, Russia 3-7 October 2016. Edited by Yu. Yu. Balega, D. O. Kudryavtsev, I. I. Romanyuk, and I. A. Yakunin. San Francisco: Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 2017, p.336

			[https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017ASPC..510..336D/abstract ADSABS]</ref>

	==Etymology, History, Concordance==		==Etymology, History, Concordance==