emamajek on 25-Jan-2016 02:04:15 GMT about * sig Dra
HR 7462 (sig Dra) is known by the proper name "Alsafi" in several astronomical references.
(1) Richard Hinckley Allen (1899) "Star-names and their meanings" (G.E. Stechert, New York) ["Alsafi"].
(2) J.W. Rhoads (1971) "Technical Memorandum 33-507: A Reduced Star Catalog Containing 537 Named Stars", Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA ["Alsafi"].
(3) D. Hoffleit & W.H. Warren, Jr. (1991) "The Bright Star Catalog, 5th Revised Edition (Preliminary Version)" (Vizier catalog V/50) ["Alsafi" or "Athafi"].
(4) M.E. Bakick (1995) "The Cambridge Guide to the Constellations" (Cambridge University Press, New York) ["Alsafi"].
(5) Jim Kaler (2008) http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/alsafi.html ["Alsafi"].
(6) E. Anderson E. & C. Francis (2012, Astron. Letters, 38, 331) "XHIP: An Extended Hipparcos Compilation" (2012AstL...38..331A) ["Alsafi"].
It appears that the stars sig Dra, tau Dra, and ups Dra were part of an ancient Arabic asterism called "Al Athaphi" (Ulugh Beg 1437, via Baily 1843), "Al-Athafi" (Samaha 1936), "El Athaphi" (Bode 1801 Uranographia), "Athafi" or "Athafiyy" (Allen 1899), referring to "the three stones which the nomadic Arab placed under his pot or kettle in the form of an equilaterial triangle to form the hearth" (E. Singleton 1905 "The Story of the Universe: Told by Great Scientists and Popular Authors, Vol. 1"). It appears that at some point before Allen (1899), the spelling variant "Alsufi" of the asterism was attributed to sig Dra.
Note also that the fiducial spectral type is not the best available (even if it is a recent estimate). Sigma Draconis has been one of the most often quoted "K0V" standard stars going back to the original Morgan & Keenan atlas in the 1943 (Keenan & McNeil 1989;
1989ApJS...71..245K
; Keenan & Pitts 1980;
1980ApJS...42..541K
; Keenan & Yorka 1985;
1985BICDS..29...25K
; Keenan 1983; Keenan & McNeil 1976; 1976aasc.book.....K;
1983BICDS..24...19K
; Morgan & Keenan 1973; 1973ARA%26A..11...29M; Johnson & Morgan 1953
1953ApJ...117..313J
; Morgan, Keenan & Kellman 1943; 1943assw.book.....M). In fact Garrison (1994;
1994ASPC...60....3G
) calls sig Dra the *sole* K0V "anchor standard", meaning no other star has a stronger pedigree representing the K0V subtype than this star. Further comments on K0V standard stars are at: http://www.pas.rochester.edu/~emamajek/spt/K0V.txt).
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