binary system
A binary system is a system of two astronomical bodies of the same kind that are comparable in size. Definitions vary, but typically require the center of mass to be located outside of either object. (See animated examples.)
The most common ki ...
in the
constellation
A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object.
The first constellati ...
apparent magnitude
Apparent magnitude () is a measure of the Irradiance, brightness of a star, astronomical object or other celestial objects like artificial satellites. Its value depends on its intrinsic luminosity, its distance, and any extinction (astronomy), ...
of 2.88. Its two components are designated θ1 Eridani, formally named Acamar (the traditional name of the system), and θ2 Eridani. The system's distance from the
Sun
The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...
based on
parallax
Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different sightline, lines of sight and is measured by the angle or half-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to perspective (graphica ...
measurements is approximately 165
light-year
A light-year, alternatively spelled light year (ly or lyr), is a unit of length used to express astronomical distances and is equal to exactly , which is approximately 9.46 trillion km or 5.88 trillion mi. As defined by the International Astr ...
s.
Nomenclature
Theta Eridani is the system's
Bayer designation
A Bayer designation is a stellar designation in which a specific star is identified by a Greek alphabet, Greek or Latin letter followed by the genitive case, genitive form of its parent constellation's Latin name. The original list of Bayer design ...
; θ1 and θ2 Eridani those of its two components.
The system bore the traditional name Acamar, derived from the
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
آخِر النَّهْر ''Ākhir an-nahr'', which means "the end of the river", via a Roman-alphabet handwriting misread "rn" to "m". In 2016, the
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union (IAU; , UAI) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and developmen ...
organized a
Working Group on Star Names
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) established a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) in May 2016 to catalog and standardize proper names for stars for the international astronomical community. It operates under Division C – Education ...
(WGSN) to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN decided to attribute proper names to individual stars rather than entire multiple systems. It approved the name "Acamar" for θ1 Eridani on 20 July 2016 and it is now so entered in the IAU Catalog of Star Names.
The term "Ākhir an-nahr", or "Achr al Nahr", appeared in the catalogue of stars in the ''Calendarium of
Al Achsasi Al Mouakket
Muḥammad al Achsasi al Mouakket () was a 17th century Egyptian astronomer whose and catalogue of stars, ("''Pearls of brilliance upon the solar operations''"), was written in Cairo in about 1650. Al-Achsasi was a shaykh, a learned elder, of th ...
'', which was translated into
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
as ''Postrema Fluminis''.
Historically, Acamar represented the end of the constellation Eridanus. Now that distinction is held by the star
Achernar
Achernar is the brightest star in the constellation of Eridanus and the ninth-brightest in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Eridani, which is Latinized from α Eridani and abbreviated Alpha Eri or α Eri. The name Ac ...
, which shares the same Arabic
etymology
Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...
. Achernar is not visible from the Greek isles (
latitude
In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...
s > 33° North), hence the choice of Acamar as the river's end during the time of
Hipparchus
Hipparchus (; , ; BC) was a Ancient Greek astronomy, Greek astronomer, geographer, and mathematician. He is considered the founder of trigonometry, but is most famous for his incidental discovery of the precession of the equinoxes. Hippar ...
and, later,
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
.
In
Chinese
Chinese may refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China.
**'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
Chi Eridani
χ Eridani (Latinised as Chi Eridani) is a binary star system in the constellation Eridanus. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.70. The distance to this system, as determined using the parallax method, ...
,
Phi Eridani
φ Eridani (Latinised as Phi Eridani) is a star in the constellation Eridanus. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.55. The distance to this star, as determined using the parallax method, is around 154&nb ...
,
Kappa Eridani
Kappa Eridani, Latinized from κ Eridani, is a solitary star in the constellation Eridanus. With an apparent visual magnitude of 4.25, it is bright enough to be visible to the naked eye on a dark night. Based upon an annual parallax shi ...
,
HD 16754
HD 16754 is a binary or triple-star system in the constellation Eridanus. It has the Bayer designation s Eridani; ''HD 16754'' is the designation from the ''Henry Draper catalogue''. The system is visible to the naked eye as a faint poi ...
,
HD 23319
h Eridani (HD 23319) is an orange-hued star in the constellation Eridanus. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 4.59, which make it faintly visible to the naked eye in skies with low light pollution. The distance to HD 23319 can be es ...
,
HD 24072
HD may refer to:
Business
* H-D or Harley-Davidson, a motorcycle manufacturer
* The Home Depot, NYSE stock symbol: HD
Chemistry
* Hydrogen deuteride, a diatomic compound of hydrogen and deuterium
* Mustard gas
Codes
* Air Do, formerly H ...
Chinese name
Chinese may refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China.
**'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethni ...
for Theta Eridani itself is (, ).
Stellar system
Theta Eridani is a
binary system
A binary system is a system of two astronomical bodies of the same kind that are comparable in size. Definitions vary, but typically require the center of mass to be located outside of either object. (See animated examples.)
The most common ki ...
with some evidence suggesting it is part of a multiple
star system
A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars that orbit each other, bound by gravity, gravitational attraction. It may sometimes be used to refer to a single star. A large group of stars bound by gravitation is generally calle ...
spectral class
In astronomy, stellar classification is the classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. Electromagnetic radiation from the star is analyzed by splitting it with a prism or diffraction grating into a spectrum exhibiting the ...
A4 with a +3.2
apparent magnitude
Apparent magnitude () is a measure of the Irradiance, brightness of a star, astronomical object or other celestial objects like artificial satellites. Its value depends on its intrinsic luminosity, its distance, and any extinction (astronomy), ...
. Its companion star, θ2 Eridani, is of spectral class A1 with an apparent magnitude of +4.1. The
angular separation
Angular distance or angular separation is the measure of the angle between the orientation of two straight lines, rays, or vectors in three-dimensional space, or the central angle subtended by the radii through two points on a sphere. When t ...
of the two stars is equal to 8.3
arcseconds
A minute of arc, arcminute (abbreviated as arcmin), arc minute, or minute arc, denoted by the symbol , is a unit of angular measurement equal to of a degree. Since one degree is of a turn, or complete rotation, one arcminute is of a tu ...