Caph

Authors: IAU-WGSN Etymology Group, Susanne M Hoffmann

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Caph 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 746 (β Cas, HR 21) in constellation Cas.

Etymology and History

Applied in recent times from an abbreviation of its ind-A name al-kaff al-khaḍīb "the Stained Hand", alternatively and more correctly used for all the brighter stars of today's Cassiopeia (probably α, β, γ, δ, and ε). The ind-A figure here represented a hand with its finger-tips stained reddish-brown in the traditional Eastern way using henna leaves. al-kaff al-khaḍīb, in turn, was part of the larger ind-A asterism kaff al-thurayya al-yumna al-mabsuta, "the Outstretched Right Hand of the Pleiades". The latter extended from today's Taurus through Perseus into Cassiopeia. A second hand (the Pleiades were a "head" from which two arms or hands radiated) was al-kaff al-jadhma', "the Amputated Hand", in today's Cetus.

IAU Working Group on Star Names

The name was adopted by the IAU WGSN on 2016/06/30.

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.