Beta Carinae is the second brightest star in the constellation

Constellation

In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....

 Carina

Carina (constellation)

Carina is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for the keel of a ship, and it was formerly part of the larger constellation of Argo Navis until that constellation was divided in three.-Stars:...

 and one of the brightest stars in the night sky, with apparent magnitude

Apparent magnitude

The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...

 1.68. It is the brightest star in the south polar asterism

Asterism (astronomy)

In astronomy, an asterism is a pattern of stars recognized on Earth's night sky. It may form part of an official constellation, or be composed of stars from more than one. Like constellations, asterisms are in most cases composed of stars which, while they are visible in the same general direction,...

 known as the Diamond Cross

Diamond Cross

The Diamond Cross is an asterism in the southern constellation Carina. The Diamond Cross is composed of four bright stars: Beta, Theta, Upsilon and Omega Carinae. These four bright stars create an almost perfect diamond shape, hence the name "Diamond Cross". The entire asterism is visible to all...

, marking the southwestern end of the asterism. Beta Carinae also has the traditional name Miaplacidus, meaning "placid waters". It lies near the planetary nebula, IC 2448

IC 2448

IC 2448 is an elliptical planetary nebula in the constellation of Carina. Lying near the bright star Beta Carinae it is wonderful to explore the southern Carina in the months of autumn in southern hemisphere.-External links:...

.

Beta Carinae's traditional name Miaplacidus made its debut on star maps in 1856 when the star atlas Geography of the Heavens, composed by Elijah Hinsdale Burritt, was published. The meaning and linguistic origin of the name remained an enigma for many decades, until William Higgins, a great scholar and expert on star names, surmised that the name Miaplacidus is apparently a bilingual combination of Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

 مياه miyāh for "waters" and Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 placidus for "placid".

In Chinese

Chinese language

The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

, , meaning Southern Boat, refers to an asterism consisting of β Carinae, V337 Carinae

V337 Carinae

V337 Carinae is a K-type bright giant star in the constellation of Carina. It is an irregular variable and has an apparent visual magnitude which varies between 3.36 and 3.44....

, PP Carinae

PP Carinae

PP Carinae, which also has the Bayer designation p Carinae is a star in the constellation Carina.PP Carinae is a blue-white B-type main sequence dwarf with a mean apparent magnitude of +3.30. It is approximately 497 light years from Earth. It is classified as a Gamma Cassiopeiae type variable...

, θ Carinae

Theta Carinae

Theta Carinae is a star in the constellation Carina. It is the brightest star in the open star cluster IC 2602, and it marks the northeastern end of the Diamond Cross asterism....

 and ω Carinae

Omega Carinae

Omega Carinae is a star in the constellation Carina. With a declination greater than 70 degrees south of the celestial equator, it is the most southerly of the bright stars of Carina , and it is part of a popular southern asterism known as the Diamond Cross. ω Carinae is a blue-white B-type giant...

. Consequently, β Carinae itself is known as