Rastaban
From All Skies Encyclopaedia
Authors: IAU-WGSN Etymology Group, Susanne M Hoffmann, Roland Laffitte
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
Kunitsch and Smart (2006):[1]
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)[2] elaborates:
- Rastaban[Ant.] (β Dra: 2.79) /رأس التنين . This name, adopted in the 13th century for γ Dra, then shifted during the 19th 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.]
Mythology
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
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Roland Laffitte (2025), Nommer les étoile: 500 noms hérités des Arabes - Apport de l'uranographie arabe, Orient des Mots
