Theta Cassiopeiae

θ Cassiopeiae

Observation data Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0
Constellation	Cassiopeia
Right ascension	01^h11^m06.2^s
Declination	+55°08′59″
Apparent magnitude (V)	+4.34
Distance	137 ± 4 ly (42 ± 1 pc)
Spectral type	A7V
Other designations
Marfak, 33 Cassiopeiae, HR 343, HD 6961, BD+54°236, HIP 5542, SAO 22070, GC 1424, CCDM J01112+5508

The Bayer-designated stars in Cassiopeia. Theta Cassiopeiae is circled.

Theta Cassiopeiae (θ Cas, θ Cassiopeiae) is a star in the constellation Cassiopeia. It has the traditional name Marfark or Marfak, which it shares with μ Cassiopeiae, and the name was from Al Marfik or Al Mirfaq (المرفق), meaning "the elbow".^[1]

In Chinese, 閣道 (Gé Dào), meaning Flying Corridor, refers to an asterism consisting of θ Cassiopeiae, ι Cassiopeiae, ε Cassiopeiae, δ Cassiopeiae, ν Cassiopeiae and ο Cassiopeiae.^[2] Consequently, θ Cassiopeiae itself is known as 閣道四 (Gé Dào sì, English: the Fourth Star of Flying Corridor.)^[3]

θ Cassiopeiae is a white A-type main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of +4.34. It is approximately 137 light years from Earth.

References

1. Allen, R. H. (1963). Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning (Reprint ed.). New York: Dover Publications Inc. p. 148. ISBN 0-486-21079-0. Retrieved 2010-12-12.
2. (Chinese) 中國星座神話, written by 陳久金. Published by 台灣書房出版有限公司, 2005, ISBN 978-986-7332-25-7.
3. (Chinese) 香港太空館 - 研究資源 - 亮星中英對照表, Hong Kong Space Museum. Accessed on line November 23, 2010.