Apamvatsa: Difference between revisions

From All Skies Encyclopaedia
Apamvatsa
m (spelling)
 
(13 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Āpaṃvatsa ()}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Āpaṃvatsa (अपऻऺवत्स)}}


[[File:0048 apa and apavatsapaperVII Fig2.jpeg|thumb|The stars identified by Shylaja and Pai (2019), their Table 2, are marked with red circles on the map of Virgo. The two arrows correspond to Apamvatsa and Apa. The original chart by IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg) is from Creative Commons.]]Apāṃvatsa is an Indian star name attested throughout the last millennium. The only indication of the position is Apamvatsa is 5° to the north of [[Chitra]] ([[Spica]]) in [[Virgo]]. No information on magnitudes is preserved.<ref>B. S. Shylaja and Venketeswara Pai (2019). Āpa and Apāṃvatsa – enigmatic stars catalogued in Sūryasiddhānta, J. Astrophys. Astr. (2019) 40:48, Indian Academy of Sciences</ref> Shylaja and Pai (2019) identify 74 Vir ([https://simbad.cds.unistra.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=74+Vir&submit=SIMBAD+search SIMBAD], [https://vsx.aavso.org/index.php?view=detail.top&oid=44921 VSX]), a red giant of roughly one solar mass and apparent brightness of ''V''~4.69 mag. Red giants vary in brightness due to pulsation, but the VSX gives only an interval of 0.07 mag in V.
[[File:0048 apa and apavatsapaperVII Fig2.jpeg|thumb|The stars identified by Shylaja and Pai (2019), their Table 2, are marked with red circles on the map of Virgo. The two arrows correspond to Apamvatsa and Apa. The original chart by IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg) is from Creative Commons.]]
[[File:Apamvatsa profileCard SadeghFaghanpour-IAU-WGSN.jpg|thumb|Apamvatsa - profile card (CC BY Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN).]]
Apāṃvatsa (अपऻऺवत्स), "calf of the waters", is an Indian star name attested throughout the last millennium. The only indication of the position is Apamvatsa is 5° to the north of [[Chitra]] ([[Spica]]) in [[Virgo]]. No information on magnitudes is preserved.<ref name=":0">B. S. Shylaja and Venketeswara Pai (2019). Āpa and Apāṃvatsa – enigmatic stars catalogued in Sūryasiddhānta, J. Astrophys. Astr. (2019) 40:48, Indian Academy of Sciences

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12036-019-9614-1</ref> Shylaja and Pai (2019) identify 74 Vir ([https://simbad.cds.unistra.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=74+Vir&submit=SIMBAD+search SIMBAD], [https://vsx.aavso.org/index.php?view=detail.top&oid=44921 VSX]), a red giant of roughly one solar mass and apparent brightness of ''V''~4.69 mag. Red giants vary in brightness due to pulsation, but the VSX gives only an interval of 0.07 mag in V.

Apamvatsa is also a modern star name, adopted by the IAU WGSN in October 2025 for 74 Vir.


==Concordance, Etymology, History==
==Concordance, Etymology, History==


Translation:
Translation: "calf of the waters"


Spelling Variants:
Spelling Variants:


Identification Variants:
⚫
Identification Variants: Shylaja and Pai (2019) also discussed the Mira-variable S Vir that reaches V~6.3 mag in peaks, but find it unlikely. Yet, they conclude that the identification with 74 Vir is debatable.

⚫
Shylaja and Pai (2019)<ref name=":0" /> also discussed the Mira-variable S Vir that reaches V~6.3 mag in peaks, but find it unlikely. Yet, they conclude that the identification with 74 Vir is debatable.


=== Origin of Name ===
=== Origin of Name ===
The text Sūryasiddhānta is considered as an authority from the 8th to the 19th century CE, but the author(s) remain unknown. Its date is estimated to the 4th or 5th century. It contains a chapter with lists of coordinates and names of stars, which allows for identifications.
The ancient astronomical treatise Sūryasiddhānta is considered as an authority from the 8th to the 19th century CE, but the author(s) remain unknown. Its date is estimated to the 4th or 5th century. The S'''ūryasiddhānta''' contains a chapter with lists of coordinates and names of stars, which allows for identifications.

'''Sūrya-siddhānta''', Chapter 8, Verse 21 reads: <blockquote>''“अपांवत्सस्तु चित्राया उत्तरऽशेश्व पञ्चभिः ।''</blockquote><blockquote>''बहत्किञ्चिदतो भागे रापष्षडभिरथोत्तरे ॥ २१॥”''</blockquote>
[[File:Chitra nakshatras in Temple draw+lbl 4ase.jpg|thumb|Chitra nakshatra in Tirupperunthurai (Athmanathaswamy temple) near Aranthangi, India, 10th century CE. (SMH 2025).]]
This offers the possibility of an alternate etymological interpretation. While the word ''apām'' is typically interpreted as “waters”, the element apa- in Sanskrit can also mean ''“away, apart, distant, separate.”'' This interpretation can be seen in some astronomical contexts—for example, in the term ''apamaṇḍala'', referring to the ecliptic as the “circle that is ''tilted away''” from the celestial equator (''viśuvat-maṇḍala''). Thus, ''apa-'' can also be taken to imply the ''distance'' or ''separation'' in this context. Similarly, while vatsa literally means “calf,” the term also commonly carries the broader sense of “young one,” or a “smaller one”. Under this reading, ''Apāmvatsa'' may also be interpreted as “the smaller one that is distant" or "the distant smaller one.”

This alternate interpretation also has observational relevance as according to Sūryasiddhānta, the star ''Apāmvatsa'' lies five degrees north of Citrā (Spica), i.e., it is literally the smaller, more distant star relative to a prominent neighbor and 74 Virginis is indeed significantly fainter and positioned roughly five degrees north of Spica, aligning naturally with the description ''“the distant smaller one.”'' This "smaller, distant" neighbour of Spica seems to be depicted in the nakṣatra engravings in the Tirupperunthurai (Athmanathaswamy temple) near Aranthangi, India, 10th century CE.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|+Sources
!Author
!Author
!Date (CE)
!Date (CE)
Line 28: Line 42:
|Aryabhaṭa
|Aryabhaṭa
|5th century
|5th century
|(not listed)
⚫
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
⚫
|Lalla<ref>Śiṣyadhīvṛddhidatantra of Lalla, ed. and tr. by Bina Chatterjee, vol II, INSA, New Delhi, 1981.</ref>
|Lalla
|5th– 9th century
|5th– 9th century
|(not listed)
⚫
|Śiṣyadhīvṛddhidatantra of Lalla, ed. and tr. by Bina Chatterjee, vol II, INSA, New Delhi, 1981.
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
⚫
|Vaṭeśvara<ref>Vaṭeśvarasiddhānta of Vaṭeśvara, critically edited with English translation and commentary, by Shukla K. S., INSA, New Delhi, 1985.</ref>
|Vaṭeśvara
|10th century
|10th century
|(not listed)
⚫
|Vaṭeśvarasiddhānta of Vaṭeśvara, critically edited with English translation and commentary, by Shukla K. S., INSA, New Delhi, 1985.
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
⚫
|Śrīpati<ref>Siddhāntaśekhara, ed. and tr. by Sripada Bhat (INSA Report, unpublished)</ref>
|Śrīpati
|12th century
|12th century
|(not listed)
⚫
|Siddhāntaśekhara, ed. and tr. by Sripada Bhat (INSA Report, unpublished)
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
⚫
|Sūryasiddhānta<ref>Wilkinson and Bapudeva Sastri, 1861, online digital versions Google books
|Sūryasiddhānta

[https://books.google.de/books?id=W0Uo_-_iizwC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false Phanindralal Gangooly (1989) in GoogleBook]s</ref>
|?
|?
⚫
|
⚫
|Wilkinson and Bapudeva Sastri, 1861, online digital versions Google books
| colspan="2" |5° North of Citrā
| colspan="2" |5° North of Citrā
|-
|-
|Parameśvara
|Parameśvara
|13th century
|13th century
|Commentary on SS
|Commentary on SS (Not listed)
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
|Padmanābha Manuscript B number 45892
|Padmanābha Manuscript B number 45892<ref name=":1">Yantrarāja-Adhikāra Chapter 1, Yantrakiraṇāvali, Ohashi Y., IJHS, 32.3 (1997). 199–295</ref>
|1423
|1423
|.
|Yantrarāja-Adhikāra Chapter 1, Yantrakiraṇāvali, Ohashi Y., IJHS, 32.3 (1997) 199–295.
|<nowiki>185|9</nowiki>
|<nowiki>185|9</nowiki>
|<nowiki>2|53</nowiki>
|<nowiki>2|53</nowiki>
|-
|-
|Padmanābha Manuscript A 45888
|Padmanābha Manuscript A 45888<ref name=":1" />
|1576 (or earlier)
|1576 (or earlier)
|
|Yantrarāja-Adhikāra Chapter 1, Yantrakiraṇāvali, Ohashi Y., IJHS, 32.3 (1997) 199–295.
|<nowiki>185|9</nowiki>
|<nowiki>185|9</nowiki>
|<nowiki>2|53</nowiki>
|<nowiki>2|53</nowiki>
|-
|-
⚫
|Ganeśa Daivajña<ref>Grahalāghava, ed. and tr. by Balachandra Rao S. and Uma S. K., 2008.</ref>
|Ganeśa Daivajña
|
|
|
⚫
|Grahalāghava, ed. and tr. by Balachandra Rao S. and Uma S. K., 2008.
|183
|183
|3
|3
|-
|-
⚫
|Munīśvara,<ref>Siddhāntasārvabhauma of Munīśvara, edited by Pt. Mīthālāla Ojhā, Saṃpurṇānand Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya, Varanasi, 1978.</ref>
|Munīśvara,
|1646
|1646
|
⚫
|Siddhāntasārvabhauma of Munīśvara, edited by Pt. Mīthālāla Ojhā, Saṃpurṇānand Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya, Varanasi, 1978.
| colspan="2" |5° North of Citrā
| colspan="2" |5° North of Citrā
|-
|-
Line 99: Line 115:


== Religion/ Tales/ Mythology ==
== Religion/ Tales/ Mythology ==
[[File:Apamvatsa stickfigure SadeghFaghanpour-IAU-WGSN.jpg|thumb|Apamvatsa - stickfigure (CC BY Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN). The name was adopted in October, short before the Indian Dipavali festival and the American Halloween.]]
mnemonic tales and cultural significance

== Star Name Discussion (IAU) ==
In 2025, the the historical star name "Apamvatsa" was suggested to be used for 74 Virginis in [[Virgo]].

Decision: The name was adopted on 16 October 2025.


== Weblinks ==
== Weblinks ==
Line 109: Line 130:
* [[References]] (general)
* [[References]] (general)


[[Category:Indian]]
⚫
[[Category:Indian]] [[Category:Asterism]] [[Category:Star Name]][[Category:Eurasia]][[Category:South Asian]][[Category:Vir]]
[[Category:Asterism]]
[[Category:Star Name]]
[[Category:Single star-asterism ]]
[[Category:IAU-Star Name]]
⚫
[[Category:Eurasia]][[Category:South Asian]][[Category:Vir]]

Latest revision as of 18:53, 7 December 2025


The stars identified by Shylaja and Pai (2019), their Table 2, are marked with red circles on the map of Virgo. The two arrows correspond to Apamvatsa and Apa. The original chart by IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg) is from Creative Commons.
Apamvatsa - profile card (CC BY Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN).

Apāṃvatsa (अपऻऺवत्स), "calf of the waters", is an Indian star name attested throughout the last millennium. The only indication of the position is Apamvatsa is 5° to the north of Citrā (चित्रा) (Spica) in Virgo. No information on magnitudes is preserved.[1] Shylaja and Pai (2019) identify 74 Vir (SIMBAD, VSX), a red giant of roughly one solar mass and apparent brightness of V~4.69 mag. Red giants vary in brightness due to pulsation, but the VSX gives only an interval of 0.07 mag in V.

Apamvatsa is also a modern star name, adopted by the IAU WGSN in October 2025 for 74 Vir.

Concordance, Etymology, History

Translation: "calf of the waters"

Spelling Variants:

Identification Variants:

Shylaja and Pai (2019)[1] also discussed the Mira-variable S Vir that reaches V~6.3 mag in peaks, but find it unlikely. Yet, they conclude that the identification with 74 Vir is debatable.

Origin of Name

The ancient astronomical treatise Sūryasiddhānta is considered as an authority from the 8th to the 19th century CE, but the author(s) remain unknown. Its date is estimated to the 4th or 5th century. The Sūryasiddhānta contains a chapter with lists of coordinates and names of stars, which allows for identifications.

Sūrya-siddhānta, Chapter 8, Verse 21 reads:

“अपांवत्सस्तु चित्राया उत्तरऽशेश्व पञ्चभिः ।

बहत्किञ्चिदतो भागे रापष्षडभिरथोत्तरे ॥ २१॥”

Chitra nakshatra in Tirupperunthurai (Athmanathaswamy temple) near Aranthangi, India, 10th century CE. (SMH 2025).

This offers the possibility of an alternate etymological interpretation. While the word apām is typically interpreted as “waters”, the element apa- in Sanskrit can also mean “away, apart, distant, separate.” This interpretation can be seen in some astronomical contexts—for example, in the term apamaṇḍala, referring to the ecliptic as the “circle that is tilted away” from the celestial equator (viśuvat-maṇḍala). Thus, apa- can also be taken to imply the distance or separation in this context. Similarly, while vatsa literally means “calf,” the term also commonly carries the broader sense of “young one,” or a “smaller one”. Under this reading, Apāmvatsa may also be interpreted as “the smaller one that is distant" or "the distant smaller one.”

This alternate interpretation also has observational relevance as according to Sūryasiddhānta, the star Apāmvatsa lies five degrees north of Citrā (Spica), i.e., it is literally the smaller, more distant star relative to a prominent neighbor and 74 Virginis is indeed significantly fainter and positioned roughly five degrees north of Spica, aligning naturally with the description “the distant smaller one.” This "smaller, distant" neighbour of Spica seems to be depicted in the nakṣatra engravings in the Tirupperunthurai (Athmanathaswamy temple) near Aranthangi, India, 10th century CE.

Sources
Author Date (CE) Source/ Reference Coordinates
Dh Vi
Aryabhaṭa 5th century (not listed)
Lalla[2] 5th– 9th century (not listed)
Vaṭeśvara[3] 10th century (not listed)
Śrīpati[4] 12th century (not listed)
Sūryasiddhānta[5] ? 5° North of Citrā
Parameśvara 13th century Commentary on SS (Not listed)
Padmanābha Manuscript B number 45892[6] 1423 . 185|9 2|53
Padmanābha Manuscript A 45888[6] 1576 (or earlier) 185|9 2|53
Ganeśa Daivajña[7] 183 3
Munīśvara,[8] 1646 5° North of Citrā
Ketkar 1855 Ketakīya Grahagaṇitam
Candraśekhara Sāmanta 1864 Siddhāntadarpaṇa. 5° North of Citrā

Transfer and Transformation

Religion/ Tales/ Mythology

Apamvatsa - stickfigure (CC BY Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN). The name was adopted in October, short before the Indian Dipavali festival and the American Halloween.

Star Name Discussion (IAU)

In 2025, the the historical star name "Apamvatsa" was suggested to be used for 74 Virginis in Virgo.

Decision: The name was adopted on 16 October 2025.

Weblinks

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 B. S. Shylaja and Venketeswara Pai (2019). Āpa and Apāṃvatsa – enigmatic stars catalogued in Sūryasiddhānta, J. Astrophys. Astr. (2019) 40:48, Indian Academy of Sciences https://doi.org/10.1007/s12036-019-9614-1
  2. ↑ Śiṣyadhīvṛddhidatantra of Lalla, ed. and tr. by Bina Chatterjee, vol II, INSA, New Delhi, 1981.
  3. ↑ Vaṭeśvarasiddhānta of Vaṭeśvara, critically edited with English translation and commentary, by Shukla K. S., INSA, New Delhi, 1985.
  4. ↑ Siddhāntaśekhara, ed. and tr. by Sripada Bhat (INSA Report, unpublished)
  5. ↑ Wilkinson and Bapudeva Sastri, 1861, online digital versions Google books Phanindralal Gangooly (1989) in GoogleBooks
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Yantrarāja-Adhikāra Chapter 1, Yantrakiraṇāvali, Ohashi Y., IJHS, 32.3 (1997). 199–295
  7. ↑ Grahalāghava, ed. and tr. by Balachandra Rao S. and Uma S. K., 2008.
  8. ↑ Siddhāntasārvabhauma of Munīśvara, edited by Pt. Mīthālāla Ojhā, Saṃpurṇānand Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya, Varanasi, 1978.
Retrieved from "https://xing.fmi.uni-jena.de/mediawiki/index.php?title=Apamvatsa&oldid=35301"