Eta Virginis
Encyclopedia
Eta Virginis is a star
in the constellation
Virgo
. It has the traditional name Zaniah icon.
Zaniah is about 204 light years distant from the Sun
, and has apparent magnitude
+3.9 and is of spectral type
A2IV.
Although the star looks single in any telescope, lunar occultation
s have shown this star to be a very close triple star system consisting of two stars only 0.5 AU
apart with a third slightly more distant star.
Because Zaniah is near the ecliptic
, it can be occulted
by the Moon
and (very rarely) by planet
s. On September 1, 329 BC, the ancient Greek astronomer Timocharis
observed the star being passed by Venus, when the planet came within an arcminute of it. The last occultation by a planet took place on September 27, 1843, also by Venus
, which will occult it again on November 19, 2445.
In the catalogue of stars in the Calendarium of Al Achsasi Al Mouakket, this star was designated Thanih al Aoua, which was translated into Latin
as Secunda Latratoris, meaning the second barker. This star, along with β Vir
(Zavijava), γ Vir
(Porrima), δ Vir
(Auva) and ε Vir
(Vindemiatrix), were Al ʽAwwāʼ, the Barker.
In Chinese
, , meaning Left Wall of Supreme Palace Enclosure
, refers to an asterism consisting of η Virginis, γ Virginis
, δ Virginis
, ε Virginis
and α Comae Berenices
. Consequently, η Virginis itself is known as , representing , meaning The Left Law Administrator. 左執法 (Zuǒzhífǎ), westernized into Tso Chih Fa by R.H. Allen and the meaning is "the Left-hand Maintainer of Law"
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....
Virgo
Virgo (constellation)
Virgo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for virgin, and its symbol is . Lying between Leo to the west and Libra to the east, it is the second largest constellation in the sky...
. It has the traditional name Zaniah icon.
Zaniah is about 204 light years distant from the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
, and has apparent magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
+3.9 and is of spectral type
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
A2IV.
Although the star looks single in any telescope, lunar occultation
Occultation
An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden by another object that passes between it and the observer. The word is used in astronomy . It can also refer to any situation wherein an object in the foreground blocks from view an object in the background...
s have shown this star to be a very close triple star system consisting of two stars only 0.5 AU
Astronomical unit
An astronomical unit is a unit of length equal to about or approximately the mean Earth–Sun distance....
apart with a third slightly more distant star.
Because Zaniah is near the ecliptic
Ecliptic
The ecliptic is the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun. In more accurate terms, it is the intersection of the celestial sphere with the ecliptic plane, which is the geometric plane containing the mean orbit of the Earth around the Sun...
, it can be occulted
Occultation
An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden by another object that passes between it and the observer. The word is used in astronomy . It can also refer to any situation wherein an object in the foreground blocks from view an object in the background...
by the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
and (very rarely) by planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s. On September 1, 329 BC, the ancient Greek astronomer Timocharis
Timocharis
Timocharis of Alexandria was a Greek astronomer and philosopher. Likely born in Alexandria, he was a contemporary of Euclid....
observed the star being passed by Venus, when the planet came within an arcminute of it. The last occultation by a planet took place on September 27, 1843, also by Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
, which will occult it again on November 19, 2445.
Etymology
The medieval name Zaniah is from the Arabic زاوية zāwiyah "corner", the same source as Zavijava.In the catalogue of stars in the Calendarium of Al Achsasi Al Mouakket, this star was designated Thanih al Aoua, which was translated into Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
as Secunda Latratoris, meaning the second barker. This star, along with β Vir
Beta Virginis
Beta Virginis is a star in the constellation Virgo. It has the traditional names Zavijava and Alaraph...
(Zavijava), γ Vir
Gamma Virginis
Gamma Virginis is a star in the constellation Virgo. It has the traditional names Porrima, Postvarta and Arich....
(Porrima), δ Vir
Delta Virginis
Delta Virginis is a red giant star in the constellation Virgo. It also has the traditional name Auva.It has a spectral type of M3-III, and an magnitude of 3.38, bright enough to be seen with the naked eye...
(Auva) and ε Vir
Epsilon Virginis
Epsilon Virginis is a star in the constellation Virgo. It has the traditional name Vindemiatrix, which comes from Greek through Latin and means Grape Gatherer....
(Vindemiatrix), were Al ʽAwwāʼ, the Barker.
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 Left Wall of Supreme Palace Enclosure
Supreme Palace enclosure
Tai Wei Yuan, the Supreme Palace Enclosure , is one of the San Yuan or Three enclosures. Stars and constellations of this group are visible during autumn in the Northern Hemisphere .-Asterisms:The asterisms are :...
, refers to an asterism consisting of η Virginis, γ Virginis
Gamma Virginis
Gamma Virginis is a star in the constellation Virgo. It has the traditional names Porrima, Postvarta and Arich....
, δ Virginis
Delta Virginis
Delta Virginis is a red giant star in the constellation Virgo. It also has the traditional name Auva.It has a spectral type of M3-III, and an magnitude of 3.38, bright enough to be seen with the naked eye...
, ε Virginis
Epsilon Virginis
Epsilon Virginis is a star in the constellation Virgo. It has the traditional name Vindemiatrix, which comes from Greek through Latin and means Grape Gatherer....
and α Comae Berenices
Alpha Comae Berenices
Alpha Comae Berenices is a star in the constellation Coma Berenices . Although it has the Bayer designation "alpha", at magnitude 4.32 it is actually fainter than Beta Comae Berenices. It has the traditional name Diadem. It is said to represent the crown worn by Queen Berenice...
. Consequently, η Virginis itself is known as , representing , meaning The Left Law Administrator. 左執法 (Zuǒzhífǎ), westernized into Tso Chih Fa by R.H. Allen and the meaning is "the Left-hand Maintainer of Law"