Gamma Aquilae
Encyclopedia
Gamma Aquilae (γ Aql, γ Aquilae) is a star
in the constellation
Aquila
. It has the traditional name Tarazed (occasionally Reda), which appears to derive from Persian
شاهين ترازو šāhin tarāzu "the beam of the scale", referring to an asterism
of the Scale, α, β and γ Aquillae. Persian šāhīn means "royal falcon", "beam", and "pointer", and gave its name (as "falcon") to Beta Aquilae.
In Chinese
, , meaning River Drum
, refers to an asterism consisting of γ Aquilae, β Aquilae and Altair. Consequently, γ Aquilae itself is known as
In the catalogue of stars in the Calendarium of Al Achsasi Al Mouakket, this star was designated Menkib al Nesr (منكب ألنسر - mankib al-nasr), which was translated into Latin
as Humerus Vulturis, meaning the eagle's shoulder.
Tarazed has an apparent magnitude
of 2.72 and is of spectral class
K3, giving it a decidedly yellowish orange hue in appearance. It is a giant star with a diameter of approximately half an AU
, and its angular diameter can be detected and measured to be 0.0075 arcseconds. It is approximately 461 light years
from Earth. The age of Gamma Aquilae is "only" about 100 million years. Nevertheless the star is already burning helium
into carbon
in its core.
).
The Koori people of Victoria knew β and γ Aquilae as the Black Swan
wives of Bunjil (Altair), the Wedge-tailed Eagle
.
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
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....
Aquila
Aquila (constellation)
Aquila is a stellar constellation. Its name is Latin for 'eagle' and it is commonly represented as such. In mythology, Aquila was owned by the Roman god Jupiter and performed many tasks for him....
. It has the traditional name Tarazed (occasionally Reda), which appears to derive from Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
شاهين ترازو šāhin tarāzu "the beam of the scale", referring to an 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,...
of the Scale, α, β and γ Aquillae. Persian šāhīn means "royal falcon", "beam", and "pointer", and gave its name (as "falcon") to Beta Aquilae.
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 River Drum
Ox (Chinese constellation)
The Ox mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the northern mansions of the Black Tortoise.-Asterisms:...
, refers to an asterism consisting of γ Aquilae, β Aquilae and Altair. Consequently, γ Aquilae itself is known as
In the catalogue of stars in the Calendarium of Al Achsasi Al Mouakket, this star was designated Menkib al Nesr (منكب ألنسر - mankib al-nasr), which was translated into 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...
as Humerus Vulturis, meaning the eagle's shoulder.
Tarazed has an 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...
of 2.72 and is of spectral class
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
K3, giving it a decidedly yellowish orange hue in appearance. It is a giant star with a diameter of approximately half an AU
Astronomical unit
An astronomical unit is a unit of length equal to about or approximately the mean Earth–Sun distance....
, and its angular diameter can be detected and measured to be 0.0075 arcseconds. It is approximately 461 light years
Light Years
Light Years is the seventh studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 25 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records. The album's style was indicative of her return to "mainstream pop dance tunes"....
from Earth. The age of Gamma Aquilae is "only" about 100 million years. Nevertheless the star is already burning helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
into carbon
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
in its core.
Cultural significance
In Chinese mythology, The Princess and the Cowherd, this star and β Aql, are children of Niulang (牛郎, The Cowherd, Altair) and Zhinü (織女, The Princess, VegaVega
Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, the fifth brightest star in the night sky and the second brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus...
).
The Koori people of Victoria knew β and γ Aquilae as the Black Swan
Black Swan
The Black Swan is a large waterbird, a species of swan, which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. The species was hunted to extinction in New Zealand, but later reintroduced. Within Australia they are nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon climatic...
wives of Bunjil (Altair), the Wedge-tailed Eagle
Wedge-tailed Eagle
The Wedge-tailed Eagle , sometimes known as the Eaglehawk in its native range, is the largest bird of prey in Australia, but it is also found in southern New Guinea. It has long, fairly broad wings, fully feathered legs, and an unmistakable wedge-shaped tail...
.