Paikauhale

Paikauhale profile card (CC BY Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU WGSN).

Paikauhale is a modern star name adopted by the International Astronomical Union in the IAU-Catalog of Star Names (IAU-CSN). Its origin is Hawaii'ian. It is the name of HIP 81266 (τ Sco, HR 6165) in constellation Sco.

Etymology and History

Paikauhale stickfigure (CC BY Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU WGSN).

Au-haele, Hōkū-‘ula, and Paikauhale are documented as three stars in a line, running from north to south. Two of the most reliable sources – Mary Puku‘i and Rubellite Johnson – both identify Hōkū-‘ula as Antares (α Sco), which makes Au-haele Alniyat (σ Sco) and Paikauhale τ Sco.

"Paikauhale" (pă'i-kă'u-hā'-le) literally translates to "to go gadding about from house to house" in the Hawaiian language, according to the Pukuʻi & Elbert Hawaiian Dictionary.

IAU Working Group on Star Names

The name was adopted by the IAU WGSN on 2018/08/10.

Currently, Paikauhale is a young blue-white (B-type) star at its main-sequence phase of stellar evolution. As it has a mass of 15 solar masses, it will end its life in a majestic explosion called "supernova". So, in a far future (i.e. in ~6.5 million years from now), it will become a red supergiant and look like neighbouring Antares looks now. Yet, by that time, Antares itself will have gone supernova already.

Weblinks

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

Reference

• References (general)
• Johnson, Mahelona and Ruggles (2015), Nā Inoa Hōkū, p. 201