Mebsuta
Mebsuta 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 HIP32246 (ε Gem, HR 2473) in constellation Gem.
Etymology and History
From an abbreviation of the ind-A asterism name dhira' al-asad almabsuta, "the Lion's Outstretched Paw," for one of the two pairs α/β Gem or α/β CMi. These pairs were assigned to the larger ind-A asterism al-asad, but there is no unanimity in the Arabic sources as to which pair was the "outstretched" or "folded" paw. "Mebsuta" was arbitrarily applied as a star name to ε Gem in recent times. In its indigenous location stretching from parts of Gemini all the way into Virgo, the ind-A al-asad, "the Lion," corresponded to what in other cultures was Leo among the zodiacal signs. Subsequently the sci-Arabs used the indigenous name for the smaller Greek Lion (Leo).
Mythology
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.
