Alwaid

Al(a)waid is an Arabic star name. The IAU decided to not include it in the IAU-Catalog of Star Names.

Etymology: Meaning and History

The literal meaning of the Araic name al-ʿawāʾidh, "Camel Mothers", refers to an indigenous Arabic constellation in the area close to the northern pole. The asterism al-ʿawāʾidh was properly four stars (β (Rastaban), γ (Eltanin), ν (Kuma) and ξ (Grumium)), representing 4 camel mothers who were protecting the young spring camel in the center (ar-rubʿ, HIP 86782).

Occurances

Allen's assertion that al-ʿawāʾidh included the fifth star ar-rāqiṣ is one of his many errors. Both Ibn Qutayba and al-Sufi say it was 4 stars, not 5. ar-rāqiṣ is still a camel, so the idea that it was ambling as it rushed in to aid the Camel Mothers is not implausible; it just wasn't one of the four Mothers.

References

• Adams (xxx) dissertation, pp. 92–94
• Allen 1899 ...
• Ibn Qutayba 1956, 148;
• al-Ṣūfī 1981, 41;
• al-Marzūqī 1914, 2:374-375
• Lane 1997, 3:1017

Modern Star Name Discussion

The name "Alwaid" that is found in the literature of popular astronomy was proposed for the IAU-Catalog of Star Names in 2023.

However, it was not applied to any star. Since all four of the stars representing the Arabic asterism (group of stars) of The Camel Mothers already have modern star names in use, and the Ambling Camel also has its own preserved name, it was decided not to place Alwaid or Alawaid elsewhere in the sky.