Menkar
- HIP
- 14135
- Designation
- 92 Alp Cet
- Bayer designation
- α Cet
- Visual magnitude
- 2.54
- Constellation
- Whale
- Name approved by the IAU
- 2016-06-30
The IAU catalogue's account
From the Arabic word al-minkhar, "the nostrils," used in the Arabic Almagest in describing λ Cet. Wrongly applied as a star name to α Cet (properly on the "jaw") in a Medieval Latin star table.
- 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
- Arabic
- Ancient-layer signal
- no simple cue found
- Source form
- al-minkhar
- Pronounced
- men' kar
- Literal meanings
- the nostrils; jaw
- Periods of use
- Medieval
- Transmission notes
- error/corruption
Source: Kunitzsch & Smart, A Dictionary of Modern Star Names, 2nd ed. 2006, p. 29
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:
- Diphda2.04
- Kaffaljidhma3.47
- Baten Kaitos3.74
- Mira6.47