Arcturus

[In Ger. Arktur; Fr. Arcture, Arcturus; Port. Arcturo; Ital. Arturo; Lat. Arcturus; Gr. ̓Αρκτούρος ( Arktouros ), from ἄρκτος (arktos) = bear, and -ουρος (ouros), a termination corresponding to ward in English, as θυρωρός ( thurōros ) = a door-ward, a doorkeeper. Hence Arcturus means bear keeper.] ( Маx Müller.) I. Astronomy: 1. A fixed star of the first magnitude, called also a Bootis. It is one of the very brightest stars in the Northern heavens. In March, 1635, Morin saw it in the west for more than half an hour after sunrise. To find it, draw a line through the tail of the Bear four times the length of the distance between the stars Mizar and Benetnasch in the diagram below. The ancients considered it a red star. Piazzi could not find it had any parallax. Though nominally "fixed," yet it has a proper angular motion of 2 250', equivalent to 53.32 miles in a second. In 752 years it altered its latitude 5', and in twenty centuries, according to Humboldt, it has moved 2) times the diameter of the moon's disc. In 1803, Herschel found its diameter, seen through a fog, of a second, from which he calculated its diameter to be not le than 8,000,000 leagues = 24,000,000 miles. ( Arago , Herschel, .) 2. The Arcturus of Scripture. Heb. עָשׁ ) Ash ), Job ix. 9; עָיִשׁ ) Aish ), xxxviii. 32. Sept. ̓Αρκτούρος ( Arktouros ); Vulg. Arcturus . Not the star now called Arcturus , which stands in solitary grandeur in the sky, unaccompanied by any of his sons," בְּנִיהָ ) banéha ), inentioned in Job xxxviii. 32, but the Great Bear (Ursa Major) () Ash is formed by aphæres is from( nash ) = a bier or litter. In Arabic naasch, cognate with the Heb. עָשׁ ) neash ), is the name of the four stars (a, β, y, and 8) constituting the hinder portion of the Great IMG:content-0723.png:[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors] Bear; whilst the three in the tail (e, ζ, η) are called in Arabic Banatnaasch = daughters of the bier, meaning, the mourners following the bier. The last of these (n) is still designated by its Arabic name Benetnasch (q.v.). "Which maketh Arcturus , Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the the south." south." Job ix. 9. "Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?"-Job xxxviii. 32. II. Zool .: An isopod crustacean. Example, the A. Baffinii , or Baffin's Bay Arcturus.