Caph

Cassiopeia · β Cas · HR 21

HIP746
Visual magnitude2.28
Right ascension (J2000)2.29452°
Declination (J2000)59.1498°
WDS J00092+5909
IAU adoption2016/06/30

Name origin

Applied in recent times from an abbreviation of its ind-A name al-kaff al-khadib "the Stained Hand," alternatively and more correctly used for all the brighter stars of today's Cassiopeia (probably α, β, γ, δ, and ε). The ind-A figure here represented a hand with its finger-tips stained reddish-brown in the traditional Eastern way using henna leaves. al-kaff al-khatdib, in turn, was part of the larger ind-A asterism kaff althurayya al-yumna al-mabsuta, "the Outstretched Right Hand of the Pleiades." The latter extended from today's Taurus through Perseus into Cassiopeia. A second hand (the Pleiades were a "head" from which two arms or hands radiated) was al-kaff al-jadhma', "the Amputated Hand," in today's Cetus.

Alternative names

  • No alternative names yet.