Epsilon Aquarii

From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium

ε Aquarii is a bright star in the constellation Aquarius and is also known by its common name of Al Bali.

Contents 1 Naming and mythology 2 Observational attributes 3 Physical characteristics 4 References

Naming and mythology

Al Bali is named from the Arabic Al Saʽd al Bulaʽ which, like some other stars of this constellation, contains the Arabic for Luck, sa. In this case the meaning seems to be "lucky swallower".^[1]

Observational attributes

Al Bali can be found at coordinates R.A. 20^h 47^m 40.6^s and Dec. -9° 29ˈ 45ˈˈ. It is a star of apparent magnitude +3.77 and some 155 light years distant as can be calculated from its parallax of 0.021ˈˈ.^[2]

The star's proximity to NGC 6981 (Messier 72) and NGC 6994 (Messier 73) makes ε Aqr. an ideal starting point in locating these two deep-sky objects.

Physical characteristics

ε Aquarii is a star of spectral type A1V. There is no evidence of it being either variable or part of a binary system.

References