Aldebaran

Taurus · α Tau · HR 1457

HIP21421
IAU adoption2016/06/30

Name origin

Applied in medieval times from its ind-A name al-dabaran, possibly meaning "the Follower," alternatively used as the lunar mansion name for all the Hyades (or again for α Tau alone). The name is thought to refer to this star's following the Pleiades across the sky, or to the Hyades (or α Tau) coming after the Pleiades as a lunar mansion. "Aldebaran" is one of the oldest Arabic star names applied in the West, from the end of the 10th century A.D.

Alternative names

  • No alternative names yet.