Nihal
Nihal
Authors: IAU-WGSN Etymology Group, Susanne M Hoffmann, Roland Laffitte
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.
Etymology and History
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]
Laffitte (2025)[2] 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, UAI. Var. Nibal, Allen, Nit. 01
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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.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Roland Laffitte (2025), Nommer les étoile: 500 noms hérités des Arabes - Apport de l'uranographie arabe, Orient des Mots
