Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Alpha Cassiopeiae
Alpha Cassiopeiae is a star in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia. It has the proper name Schedar, pronounced /ˈʃɛdɑːr/); Alpha Cassiopeiae is its Bayer designation, which is Latinized from α Cassiopeiae and abbreviated Alpha Cas or α Cas. Though listed as the "alpha star" by Johann Bayer, α Cas's visual brightness closely matches the 'beta' (β) star in the constellation (Beta Cassiopeiae) and it may appear marginally brighter or dimmer, depending on which passband is used. However, recent calculations from NASA's WISE telescope confirm that α Cas is the brightest in Cassiopeia, with an apparent magnitude of 2.240.[citation needed] Its absolute magnitude is 18 times greater than β Cas, and it is located over four times farther away from the Sun.
α Cassiopeiae (Latinised to Alpha Cassiopeiae) is the star's Bayer designation.
It bore the traditional name Schedar, which was first encountered in the Alfonsine tables of the thirteenth century. It derives from the Arabic word صدر şadr, meaning "breast" (as in chest), a word which is derived from its relative position in the heart of the mythological queen Cassiopeia. Johannes Hevelius used the name Schedir in his writings, although there were additional traditional spellings of this Arabic transliteration such as Shedar, Shadar, Sheder, Seder, Shedis, and Shedir. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name Schedar for this star on 21 August 2016 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names.
Al-Sufi and Ulug Beg named the star Al Dhāt al Kursiyy (Arabic ذات الكرسي, meaning "the lady in the chair"), which Giovanni Battista Riccioli changed to Dath Elkarti.
In Chinese, 王良 (Wáng Liáng) refers to the Chinese asterism Wang Liang, a famous charioteer during the Spring and Autumn period. The stellar pattern consists of Alpha, Beta, Kappa, Eta and Lambda Cassiopeiae. Consequently, the Chinese name for Alpha Cassiopeiae itself is 王良四 (Wáng Liáng sì, English: the Fourth Star of Wang Liang).
With a declination of 56° 32' North, α Cassiopeiae is principally visible in the Northern Hemisphere. The star is detectable to most observers across the globe reaching as far south as Perth, Australia, Santiago, Chile and other settlements north ± 33° South latitude, albeit close to the horizon. α Cassiopeiae is located in line-of-sight of the Milky Way galaxy, so there are other notable celestial objects that can be viewed close to this star—such as the Pacman Nebula, NGC 436 and NGC 457.
Alpha Cas reaches its zenith above cities like Edinburgh, Copenhagen and Moscow. It is circumpolar throughout Europe, Russia, and as far south as Los Angeles, California on the North American continent as well as other locations around the globe having a latitude greater than ± 33° North. Since α Cassiopeiae is listed as a second-magnitude star (equal to Beta Cas), it is easily observable to the naked eye as long as one's stargazing is not hindered by the light pollution common to most cities.
The best time for observation is during the late autumn months of the Northern Hemisphere, when Cassiopeia passes the meridian at midnight, but given its circumpolar nature in many northern localities, it is visible to many of the world's inhabitants throughout the year.
Hub AI
Alpha Cassiopeiae AI simulator
(@Alpha Cassiopeiae_simulator)
Alpha Cassiopeiae
Alpha Cassiopeiae is a star in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia. It has the proper name Schedar, pronounced /ˈʃɛdɑːr/); Alpha Cassiopeiae is its Bayer designation, which is Latinized from α Cassiopeiae and abbreviated Alpha Cas or α Cas. Though listed as the "alpha star" by Johann Bayer, α Cas's visual brightness closely matches the 'beta' (β) star in the constellation (Beta Cassiopeiae) and it may appear marginally brighter or dimmer, depending on which passband is used. However, recent calculations from NASA's WISE telescope confirm that α Cas is the brightest in Cassiopeia, with an apparent magnitude of 2.240.[citation needed] Its absolute magnitude is 18 times greater than β Cas, and it is located over four times farther away from the Sun.
α Cassiopeiae (Latinised to Alpha Cassiopeiae) is the star's Bayer designation.
It bore the traditional name Schedar, which was first encountered in the Alfonsine tables of the thirteenth century. It derives from the Arabic word صدر şadr, meaning "breast" (as in chest), a word which is derived from its relative position in the heart of the mythological queen Cassiopeia. Johannes Hevelius used the name Schedir in his writings, although there were additional traditional spellings of this Arabic transliteration such as Shedar, Shadar, Sheder, Seder, Shedis, and Shedir. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name Schedar for this star on 21 August 2016 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names.
Al-Sufi and Ulug Beg named the star Al Dhāt al Kursiyy (Arabic ذات الكرسي, meaning "the lady in the chair"), which Giovanni Battista Riccioli changed to Dath Elkarti.
In Chinese, 王良 (Wáng Liáng) refers to the Chinese asterism Wang Liang, a famous charioteer during the Spring and Autumn period. The stellar pattern consists of Alpha, Beta, Kappa, Eta and Lambda Cassiopeiae. Consequently, the Chinese name for Alpha Cassiopeiae itself is 王良四 (Wáng Liáng sì, English: the Fourth Star of Wang Liang).
With a declination of 56° 32' North, α Cassiopeiae is principally visible in the Northern Hemisphere. The star is detectable to most observers across the globe reaching as far south as Perth, Australia, Santiago, Chile and other settlements north ± 33° South latitude, albeit close to the horizon. α Cassiopeiae is located in line-of-sight of the Milky Way galaxy, so there are other notable celestial objects that can be viewed close to this star—such as the Pacman Nebula, NGC 436 and NGC 457.
Alpha Cas reaches its zenith above cities like Edinburgh, Copenhagen and Moscow. It is circumpolar throughout Europe, Russia, and as far south as Los Angeles, California on the North American continent as well as other locations around the globe having a latitude greater than ± 33° North. Since α Cassiopeiae is listed as a second-magnitude star (equal to Beta Cas), it is easily observable to the naked eye as long as one's stargazing is not hindered by the light pollution common to most cities.
The best time for observation is during the late autumn months of the Northern Hemisphere, when Cassiopeia passes the meridian at midnight, but given its circumpolar nature in many northern localities, it is visible to many of the world's inhabitants throughout the year.