Zeta Ceti

Zeta Ceti (ζ Cet, ζ Ceti) is a star in the constellation Cetus. It has the traditional name Baten Kaitos (Arabic batn qaytus بطن قيتوس - "belly of the sea monster").

In the catalogue of stars in the Calendarium of Al Achsasi al Mouakket, this star was designated Rabah al Naamat (رابع ألنعامة - raabi3 al naʽāmāt), which was translated into Latin as Quarta Struthionum, meaning the fourth ostrich.^[1] This star, along with η Cet (Deneb Algenubi), θ Cet (Thanih Al Naamat), τ Cet (Thalath Al Naamat), and υ Cet, were Al Naʽāmāt (ألنعامة), the Hen Ostriches.^[2][3]

In Chinese, 天倉 (Tiān Cāng), meaning Square Celestial Granary, refers to an asterism consisting of ζ Ceti, ι Ceti, θ Ceti, η Ceti, τ Ceti and 57 Ceti.^[4] Consequently, ζ Ceti itself is known as 天倉四 (Tiān Cāng sì, English: the Second Star of Square Celestial Granary.)^[5]

Structure

Zeta Ceti is a yellowish star of spectral class K0 IIIBa0.1 and is approximately 260 light years from the Earth. Its apparent magnitude is +3.9.

• Coordinates for the equinox J2000:
  • Right ascension: 01^h 51^m 28^s
  • Declination: −10° 20′ 06″

References

1. Knobel, E. B. (June 1895). "Al Achsasi Al Mouakket, on a catalogue of stars in the Calendarium of Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 55: 429. Bibcode:1895MNRAS..55..429K. doi:10.1093/mnras/55.8.429.
2. Allen, R. H. (1963). Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning (Reprint ed.). New York: Dover Publications Inc. p. 162. ISBN 0-486-21079-0. Retrieved 2010-12-12.
3. η Cet as Aoul al Naamat or Prima Struthionum (the first ostrich), θ Cet as Thanih al Naamat or Secunda Struthionum (the second ostrich), τ Cet as Thalath al Naamat or Tertia Struthionum (the third ostrich), and ζ Cet as Rabah al Naamat or Quarta Struthionum (the fourth ostrich). υ Cet should be Khamis al Naamat or Quinta Struthionum (the fifth ostrich) consistently, but Al Achsasi Al Mouakket designated the title the fifth ostrich to γ Gam with uncleared consideration.
4. (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.
5. (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.