Alpheratz
- HIP
- 677
- Designation
- 21 Alp And
- Bayer designation
- α And
- Visual magnitude
- 2.07
- Constellation
- Andromeda
- Name approved by the IAU
- 2016-06-30
The IAU catalogue's account
The specific origin of this name is unclear. It may represent a transfer from β Peg, where alferaz and other variants were applied in medieval times as abbreviations for β Peg's Arabic name mankib al-faras, "the Horse's Shoulder". Or, it may be from an abbreviation of the name alpheraz id est equus, "alpheraz, that is, the Horse", which was applied directly to α And also in medieval times. In any case, Medieval Latin authors confused these two names, their spellings, and their identifications, and the modern application of "Alpheratz" to α And comes down to us from late medieval times.
- Source language
- Arabic
- 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.
Source: IAU Catalog of Star Names (IAU-CSN), Working Group on Star Names. The account is the IAU's own text and is quoted in full: it is published under CC BY.
From Kunitzsch & Smart
- Layer of tradition
- Uncertain
- Ancient-layer signal
- no simple cue found
- Source form
- mankib al-faras
- Pronounced
- al fe' rats
- Literal meanings
- the Horse’s Shoulder; alpheraz, that is, the Horse
- Periods of use
- Medieval, Recent / modern
- Transmission notes
- uncertain/unknown, error/corruption, transferred, abbreviation
Source: Kunitzsch & Smart, A Dictionary of Modern Star Names, 2nd ed. 2006, p. 15
Layer of tradition and ancient-layer signal are not the dictionary authors' judgement but a keyword reading of the entry's wording. “No simple cue found” means exactly that — the parser found none — not that the name is late.
The fields on this card were read off an OCR layer and are not checked against the printed page. The page number is given so the claim can be verified in your own copy.
This star is not part of any chain in the strict sub-corpus.
Other named stars of this constellation: