Wasat

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

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Wasat is a modern star name adopted by the International Astronomical Union in the IAU-Catalog of Star Names (IAU-CSN). Its origin is Arabic. It is the name of HIP 35550 (δ Gem, HR 2777) in constellation Gem.

Etymology and History

From the Arabic word wasat, "middle", used by a sci-A commentator who was speculating on the meaning of the ind-A constellation name al-jauza'. Reference was made to al-jauza's being in the "middle" (wasat) of the sky (perhaps meaning the celestial equator). The reference was intended to apply to the ind-A figure located in today's Orion, however it was under the constellation which is today Gemini that the reference appeared (note the confusion between Orion and Gemini mentioned under α Ori). Therefore, after transliteration into Latin, it was in Gemini (to δ) that the word "Wasat" was arbitrarily applied as a star name in recent times.

IAU Working Group on Star Names

The name was adopted by the IAU WGSN on 2016/08/21.

Weblinks

• Website of the IAU WGSN: https://exopla.net/

Reference

• References (general)
• 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, Massachusetts: Sky Pub.