Alpha Ceti
Encyclopedia
Alpha Ceti is a star
in the constellation
of Cetus
. It has the traditional name Menkar or Menkab. The name Menkar derives from the Arabic word منخر manħar "nostril" (of Cetus).
This star, along with γ Cet
(Kaffaljidhma), δ Cet
, λ Cet
(Menkar), μ Cet, ξ1 Cet and ξ2 Cet were Al Kaff al Jidhmah, "the Part of a Hand"..
In Chinese
, , meaning Circular Celestial Granary
, refers to an asterism consisting of α Ceti, κ1 Ceti
, λ Ceti
, μ Ceti, ξ1 Ceti, ξ2 Ceti, ν Ceti, γ Ceti
, δ Ceti
, 75 Ceti, 70 Ceti, 63 Ceti and 66 Ceti. Consequently, α Ceti itself is known as
and perhaps even past the helium
stage of its stellar evolution
. Menkar is currently a red giant
star but as it begins to burn its carbon
core it will probably become highly unstable before finally shedding its outer layers and forming a planetary nebula
, leaving a relatively large white dwarf
remnant.
was a United States Navy
Crater class cargo ship
named after the star.
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
of Cetus
Cetus
Cetus is a constellation. Its name refers to Cetus, a sea monster in Greek mythology, although it is often called 'the whale' today. Cetus is located in the region of the sky that contains other water-related constellations such as Aquarius, Pisces, and Eridanus.-Ecliptic:Although Cetus is not...
. It has the traditional name Menkar or Menkab. The name Menkar derives from the Arabic word منخر manħar "nostril" (of Cetus).
This star, along with γ Cet
Gamma Ceti
Gamma Ceti is a star in the constellation Cetus. It has the traditional name Kaffaljidhma. The title Kaffaljidhma was derived from Arabic الكف الجذماء Al Kaff al Jidhmah, "The cut-short hand", the association of this star, along with α Cet , δ Cet, λ Cet , μ Cet, ξ1 Cet and ξ2 Cet..According to...
(Kaffaljidhma), δ Cet
Delta Ceti
Delta Ceti is a Class B2, fourth-magnitude star in the constellation Cetus.This star, along with α Cet , λ Cet , γ Cet , μ Cet, ξ1 Cet and ξ2 Cet were Al Kaff al Jidhmah, "the Part of a Hand".....
, λ Cet
Lambda Ceti
Lambda Ceti is Class B star of fifth-magnitude star located in the constellation Cetus. Historically, the star bore the traditional name Menkar, although today that name is more commonly associated with α Ceti....
(Menkar), μ Cet, ξ1 Cet and ξ2 Cet were Al Kaff al Jidhmah, "the Part of a Hand"..
In Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, , meaning Circular Celestial Granary
Stomach (Chinese constellation)
The Stomach mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger.-Asterisms:...
, refers to an asterism consisting of α Ceti, κ1 Ceti
Kappa1 Ceti
Kappa1 Ceti is a yellow dwarf star approximately 30 light-years away in the constellation of Cetus. The star was discovered to have a rapid rotation, roughly once every nine days. Though there are no extrasolar planets confirmed to be orbiting the star, Kappa1 Ceti is considered a good candidate...
, λ Ceti
Lambda Ceti
Lambda Ceti is Class B star of fifth-magnitude star located in the constellation Cetus. Historically, the star bore the traditional name Menkar, although today that name is more commonly associated with α Ceti....
, μ Ceti, ξ1 Ceti, ξ2 Ceti, ν Ceti, γ Ceti
Gamma Ceti
Gamma Ceti is a star in the constellation Cetus. It has the traditional name Kaffaljidhma. The title Kaffaljidhma was derived from Arabic الكف الجذماء Al Kaff al Jidhmah, "The cut-short hand", the association of this star, along with α Cet , δ Cet, λ Cet , μ Cet, ξ1 Cet and ξ2 Cet..According to...
, δ Ceti
Delta Ceti
Delta Ceti is a Class B2, fourth-magnitude star in the constellation Cetus.This star, along with α Cet , λ Cet , γ Cet , μ Cet, ξ1 Cet and ξ2 Cet were Al Kaff al Jidhmah, "the Part of a Hand".....
, 75 Ceti, 70 Ceti, 63 Ceti and 66 Ceti. Consequently, α Ceti itself is known as
Structure
Menkar is an old and dying star, long past the hydrogenHydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
and perhaps even past the helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
stage of its stellar evolution
Stellar evolution
Stellar evolution is the process by which a star undergoes a sequence of radical changes during its lifetime. Depending on the mass of the star, this lifetime ranges from only a few million years to trillions of years .Stellar evolution is not studied by observing the life of a single...
. Menkar is currently a red giant
Red giant
A red giant is a luminous giant star of low or intermediate mass in a late phase of stellar evolution. The outer atmosphere is inflated and tenuous, making the radius immense and the surface temperature low, somewhere from 5,000 K and lower...
star but as it begins to burn its carbon
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
core it will probably become highly unstable before finally shedding its outer layers and forming a planetary nebula
Planetary nebula
A planetary nebula is an emission nebula consisting of an expanding glowing shell of ionized gas ejected during the asymptotic giant branch phase of certain types of stars late in their life...
, leaving a relatively large white dwarf
White dwarf
A white dwarf, also called a degenerate dwarf, is a small star composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. They are very dense; a white dwarf's mass is comparable to that of the Sun and its volume is comparable to that of the Earth. Its faint luminosity comes from the emission of stored...
remnant.
Namesakes
USS Menkar (AK-123)USS Menkar (AK-123)
USS Menkar was an commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II, named after Menkar, the alpha star in constellation Cetus. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone....
was a United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Crater class cargo ship
Crater class cargo ship
Crater-class cargo ship is a category of freighter that was constructed for use by the United States Navy during World War II under Maritime Commission EC2-S-C1 type....
named after the star.