Rastaban

Authors: IAU-WGSN Etymology Group, Susanne M Hoffmann, Roland Laffitte

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Rastaban 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 85670 (β Dra, HR 6536) in constellation Dra.

Etymology and History

Applied with various spellings since medieval times, from the sci-A name ra's al-tinnin, "the Serpent's Head", for γ Dra. Transferred to β Dra in recent times (originally Ptolemy had γ Dra on the head, and β more specifically on the eye).

Roland Laffitte (2025) elaborates:

• Rastaban[Ant.] (β Dra: 2.79) /رأس التنين . This name, adopted in the 13^th century for γ Dra, then shifted during the 19^th century to denote β Dra, is now approved by the IAU. It derives from the name Ra’s al-Tinnīn, ‘the Head of the Sea Serpent [Hydra]’, which corresponds to the Greco-Arabic figure, transformed under the influence of the conjectures of Renaissance philologists.
• Rastaban[Post.]

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.