Royal stars
Encyclopedia
The four Royal stars or Guardians of the Sky were a group of stars noticed by the Persian
astrologers, and mentioned by Zarathustra , around 3000 BC and used as a rudimentary season calendar
.
All four stars are among the brightest 25 stars, having an apparent magnitude
of less than 1.5. However, this particular set of stars was chosen because they are divided on the sky by approximately 6 hours apart in right ascension. The reason why they are called "royal" is that they appear to stand aside from the other stars in the sky. Throughout a year, each star is for several months "dominant" on the night sky and one can guess the season just by noticing which star is dominant.
The position of "Watcher" for Venant and Haftorang has caused confusion. Persian astrologists associated Venant (Regulus
) with the North, and Haftorang/Hastorang (Fomalhaut
) with the South due to their stellar positions. Some contemporary astrologists and Neopagans have flipped these positions due to their seasonal/directional associations.
The four stars with their modern and ancient Persian names were:
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
astrologers, and mentioned by Zarathustra , around 3000 BC and used as a rudimentary season calendar
Calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
.
All four stars are among the brightest 25 stars, having an 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...
of less than 1.5. However, this particular set of stars was chosen because they are divided on the sky by approximately 6 hours apart in right ascension. The reason why they are called "royal" is that they appear to stand aside from the other stars in the sky. Throughout a year, each star is for several months "dominant" on the night sky and one can guess the season just by noticing which star is dominant.
The position of "Watcher" for Venant and Haftorang has caused confusion. Persian astrologists associated Venant (Regulus
Regulus
Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky, lying approximately 77.5 light years from Earth. Regulus is a multiple star system composed of four stars which are organized into two pairs...
) with the North, and Haftorang/Hastorang (Fomalhaut
Fomalhaut
Fomalhaut is the brightest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus and one of the brightest stars in the sky. Fomalhaut can be seen low in the southern sky in the northern hemisphere in fall and early winter evenings. Near latitude 50˚N, it sets around the time Sirius rises, and does not...
) with the South due to their stellar positions. Some contemporary astrologists and Neopagans have flipped these positions due to their seasonal/directional associations.
The four stars with their modern and ancient Persian names were:
- AldebaranAldebaranAldebaran is a red giant star located about 65 light years away in the zodiac constellation of Taurus. With an average apparent magnitude of 0.87 it is the brightest star in the constellation and is one of the brightest stars in the nighttime sky...
(Tascheter) - vernal equinox (Watcher of the East) - RegulusRegulusRegulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky, lying approximately 77.5 light years from Earth. Regulus is a multiple star system composed of four stars which are organized into two pairs...
(Venant) - summer solsticeSummer solsticeThe summer solstice occurs exactly when the axial tilt of a planet's semi-axis in a given hemisphere is most inclined towards the star that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our star, the Sun, during a solstice is 23° 26'. Though the summer solstice is an instant in time, the term is also...
(Watcher of the North) - AntaresAntaresAntares is a red supergiant star in the Milky Way galaxy and the sixteenth brightest star in the nighttime sky . Along with Aldebaran, Spica, and Regulus it is one of the four brightest stars near the ecliptic...
(Satevis) - autumnal equinox (Watcher of the West) - FomalhautFomalhautFomalhaut is the brightest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus and one of the brightest stars in the sky. Fomalhaut can be seen low in the southern sky in the northern hemisphere in fall and early winter evenings. Near latitude 50˚N, it sets around the time Sirius rises, and does not...
(Haftorang) - winter solsticeWinter solsticeWinter solstice may refer to:* Winter solstice, astronomical event* Winter Solstice , former band* Winter Solstice: North , seasonal songs* Winter Solstice , 2005 American film...
(Watcher of the South)