Sheratan

Sheratan is a modern star name adopted by the International Astronomical Union in the IAU-Catalog of Star Names (IAU-CSN). Its origin is Arabic. It is the name of HIP 8903 (β Ari, HR 553) in constellation Ari.

Etymology and History

Applied in recent times from the Arabic lunar mansion name al-shara-tan, for β and γ Ari. The name means "two" of something, but the complete meaning is uncertain. Some Arabic authors suggested that it meant "the Two Signs", implying these stars as some kind of celestial indicator; others assumed it meant "the Two Horns", referring to the Arabic figure of al-hamals here.

IAU Working Group on Star Names

The name was adopted by the IAU WGSN on 2016/07/20.

Weblinks

• Website of the IAU WGSN: https://exopla.net/

Reference

• References (general)
• 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.