Nihal: Difference between revisions
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Nihal}} | {{DISPLAYTITLE:Nihal (النِّهال)}} | ||
Authors: IAU-WGSN Etymology Group, {{PAGEAUTHORS}} | Authors: IAU-WGSN Etymology Group, {{PAGEAUTHORS}} | ||
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Nihal 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 25606 (β Lep, HR 1829) in constellation Lep. | Nihal ('''النِّهال''') 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 25606 (β Lep, HR 1829) in constellation Lep. | ||
==Etymology and History== | ==Etymology and History== | ||
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* Nibal | * Nibal | ||
* al-Nihāl (النِّهال) | |||
* a-Nahal ('''النَّهَل''') | |||
Applied in recent times from the ind-A asterism name al-nihal "the Camels Beginning to Quench Their Thirst" for α, β, γ, and δ Lep | Applied in recent times from the ind-A asterism name al-nihal "the Camels Beginning to Quench Their Thirst" for α, β, γ, and δ Lep,<ref>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.</ref> As the area of the Lepus constellation is also reported under the name ''al-Nihāl''. In classical Arabic usage, ''nahl'' denotes the first watering of camels at a well, after which they rest near the trough and later return for a second watering (''al-ʿalal'') before going back to pasture. The application of the name ''al-Nihāl'' to this star group may be motivated by its proximity to the Milky Way, often conceptualized as a celestial river. Morphologically, ''nāhil'' yields the collective ''nahal'' and the plural ''nihāl''. Al-Marzūqī explicitly notes that ''Kursiyy al-Jawzāʾ'' is also called ''al-Nahal''. | ||
[[File:Autriches RL2025.jpg|thumb|Arabic super-constellation of several autriches with autrich eggs and chicks (CC BY Roland Laffitte 2025<ref name=":0" />).]] | |||
Al-Ṣūfī (ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Ṣūfī, d. 986 CE), in his description of the constellation ''al-Arnab'', records that Arab observers designated the seventh through tenth stars of Lepus—those on the body of the “hare”—as ''Kursiyy al-Jawzāʾ al-Muʾakhkhar'' and ''ʿArsh al-Jawzāʾ'', on the grounds that they lie between Orion’s two feet in the position corresponding to a throne. He further notes that some works on ''al-Anwāʾ'' (seasonal star risings and settings) refer to these same stars as ''al-Nihāl''.<ref>al-Ṣūfī, Abū al-Ḥusayn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿUmar. ''Kitāb al-kawākib.'' Critical edition with commentary by Khalid al-Ajaji, digital edition 2021</ref>[[File:Autriches RL2025.jpg|thumb|Arabic super-constellation of several autriches with autrich eggs and chicks (CC BY Roland Laffitte 2025<ref name=":0" />).]] | |||
Laffitte (2025)<ref name=":0">Roland Laffitte (2025), ''Nommer les étoile: 500 noms hérités des Arabes - Apport de l'uranographie arabe'', Orient des Mots</ref> elaborates: <blockquote>It was Piazzi who first introduced this name, which has since been endorsed by the IAU. The name in question is ''al-Nihāl'', ‘the [Ostriches] that have quenched their thirst’, one of the terms used by the ancient Arabs to refer to the group ''αβγδ Lep.'' Arabic ''al-Nihāl'', al-Ṣūfī > ‘''AlNihál''’, Hyde, hence Nihal, Piazzi, and in French: Coulier and Francœur, Allen, Rumrill, etc., Simbad, IAU. Var. Nibal, Allen, Nit. 01</blockquote>... | Laffitte (2025)<ref name=":0">Roland Laffitte (2025), ''Nommer les étoile: 500 noms hérités des Arabes - Apport de l'uranographie arabe'', Orient des Mots</ref> elaborates: <blockquote>It was Piazzi who first introduced this name, which has since been endorsed by the IAU. The name in question is ''al-Nihāl'', ‘the [Ostriches] that have quenched their thirst’, one of the terms used by the ancient Arabs to refer to the group ''αβγδ Lep.'' Arabic ''al-Nihāl'', al-Ṣūfī > ‘''AlNihál''’, Hyde, hence Nihal, Piazzi, and in French: Coulier and Francœur, Allen, Rumrill, etc., Simbad, IAU. Var. Nibal, Allen, Nit. 01</blockquote>... | ||
Latest revision as of 11:18, 28 March 2026
Authors: IAU-WGSN Etymology Group, Susanne M Hoffmann, Roland Laffitte
Nihal (النِّهال) 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 25606 (β Lep, HR 1829) in constellation Lep.
Etymology and History
Variants
- Nibal
- al-Nihāl (النِّهال)
- a-Nahal (النَّهَل)
Applied in recent times from the ind-A asterism name al-nihal "the Camels Beginning to Quench Their Thirst" for α, β, γ, and δ Lep,[1] As the area of the Lepus constellation is also reported under the name al-Nihāl. In classical Arabic usage, nahl denotes the first watering of camels at a well, after which they rest near the trough and later return for a second watering (al-ʿalal) before going back to pasture. The application of the name al-Nihāl to this star group may be motivated by its proximity to the Milky Way, often conceptualized as a celestial river. Morphologically, nāhil yields the collective nahal and the plural nihāl. Al-Marzūqī explicitly notes that Kursiyy al-Jawzāʾ is also called al-Nahal.
Al-Ṣūfī (ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Ṣūfī, d. 986 CE), in his description of the constellation al-Arnab, records that Arab observers designated the seventh through tenth stars of Lepus—those on the body of the “hare”—as Kursiyy al-Jawzāʾ al-Muʾakhkhar and ʿArsh al-Jawzāʾ, on the grounds that they lie between Orion’s two feet in the position corresponding to a throne. He further notes that some works on al-Anwāʾ (seasonal star risings and settings) refer to these same stars as al-Nihāl.[2]
Laffitte (2025)[3] elaborates:
It was Piazzi who first introduced this name, which has since been endorsed by the IAU. The name in question is al-Nihāl, ‘the [Ostriches] that have quenched their thirst’, one of the terms used by the ancient Arabs to refer to the group αβγδ Lep. Arabic al-Nihāl, al-Ṣūfī > ‘AlNihál’, Hyde, hence Nihal, Piazzi, and in French: Coulier and Francœur, Allen, Rumrill, etc., Simbad, IAU. Var. Nibal, Allen, Nit. 01
...
Mythology
IAU Working Group on Star Names
The name was adopted by the IAU WGSN on 2016/07/20.
Weblinks
- Website of the IAU WGSN: https://exopla.net/
Reference
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ al-Ṣūfī, Abū al-Ḥusayn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿUmar. Kitāb al-kawākib. Critical edition with commentary by Khalid al-Ajaji, digital edition 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Roland Laffitte (2025), Nommer les étoile: 500 noms hérités des Arabes - Apport de l'uranographie arabe, Orient des Mots
