Sigma Sagittarii, Latinized from σ Sagittarii; formally named Nunki , is the second-brightest

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

in the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the e ...

of Sagittarius. It has an

apparent magnitude Apparent magnitude () is a measure of the brightness of a star or other astronomical object observed from Earth. An object's apparent magnitude depends on its intrinsic luminosity, its distance from Earth, and any extinction of the object's li ...

of +2.05, making it readily visible to the naked eye. The distance to this star, determined using

parallax Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to foreshortening, nearby objects ...

measurements from the

Hipparcos ''Hipparcos'' was a scientific satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA), launched in 1989 and operated until 1993. It was the first space experiment devoted to precision astrometry, the accurate measurement of the positions of celestial obj ...

astrometry satellite, yields an value of approximately from the Sun.

Properties

Sigma Sagittarii has a

spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors i ...

matching a

stellar classification In astronomy, stellar classification is the classification of stars based on their stellar spectrum, spectral characteristics. Electromagnetic radiation from the star is analyzed by splitting it with a Prism (optics), prism or diffraction grati ...

of B2.5 V, which indicates this is a

B-type main-sequence star A B-type main-sequence star (B V) is a main-sequence (hydrogen-burning) star of spectral type B and luminosity class V. These stars have from 2 to 16 times the mass of the Sun and surface temperatures between 10,000 and 30,000 K. B-type stars ...

. Its total

luminosity Luminosity is an absolute measure of radiated electromagnetic power (light), the radiant power emitted by a light-emitting object over time. In astronomy, luminosity is the total amount of electromagnetic energy emitted per unit of time by a st ...

is 3300 times that of the Sun while it has a surface temperature of 18,890 K. X-ray emission has been detected from this star, which has an estimated X-ray luminosity of . It has a 10th magnitude optical companion located 5.2 arcminutes away. It is 3.45 degrees south of the ecliptic, so it can be

occulted An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden from the observer by another object that passes between them. The term is often used in astronomy, but can also refer to any situation in which an object in the foreground blocks ...

by the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

and rarely by

planet A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...

s. The last occultation by a planet took place on November 17, 1981, when it was occulted by

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

. This is the brightest star that can be principally occulted by an exterior planet between 5000 BC and 5000 AD. However, only Mars can do this, and only rarely; the last time was on September 3, 423.

Nomenclature

''σ Sagittarii'' ( Latinised to ''Sigma Sagittarii'') is the star's

Bayer designation A Bayer designation is a stellar designation in which a specific star is identified by a Greek or Latin letter followed by the genitive form of its parent constellation's Latin name. The original list of Bayer designations contained 1,564 stars. ...

. It bore the traditional name of ''Nunki'', which was an

Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the A ...

n or

Babylonia Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...

n name recovered by

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

s and made public by R. H. Allen. In 2016, the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...

organized a

Working Group on Star Names The International Astronomical Union (IAU) established a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) in May 2016 to catalog and standardize proper names for stars for the international astronomical community. It operates under Division C – Education ...

(WGSN) to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name ''Nunki'' for this star on 21 August 2016 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names. This star, together with : *

Gamma Sagittarii The Bayer designation γ Sagittarii (Gamma Sagittarii) is shared by two stars in the constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, ...

Delta Sagittarii Delta Sagittarii (δ Sagittarii, abbreviated Delta Sgr, δ Sgr), formally named Kaus Media , is a double star in the southern zodiac constellation of Sagittarius. The apparent visual magnitude of this star is +2.70, making ...

Epsilon Sagittarii Epsilon Sagittarii ( Latinised from ε Sagittarii, abbreviated Epsilon Sgr, ε Sgr), formally named Kaus Australis , is a binary star system in the southern zodiac constellation of Sagittarius. The apparent visual magnit ...

Zeta Sagittarii Zeta Sagittarii (ζ Sagittarii, abbreviated Zeta Sgr, ζ Sgr) is a triple star system and the third-brightest star in the constellation of Sagittarius. Based upon parallax measurements, it is about from the Sun. The thre ...

Lambda Sagittarii Lambda Sagittarii ( Latinized from λ Sagittarii), formally named Kaus Borealis , is a star in the southern constellation of Sagittarius. The star marks the top of the Archer's bow. Properties With an apparent visual magnitude o ...

, Tau Sagittarii and

Phi Sagittarii Phi Sagittarii, Latinized from φ Sagittarii, is a star in the southern constellation of Sagittarius. With an apparent visual magnitude of 3.17, it is the ninth-brightest star in the constellation and is readily visible to the nak ...

, comprised the '' Teapot'' asterism. *Phi Sagittarii, Zeta Sagittarii, Chi Sagittarii and Tau Sagittarii were the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

''Al Naʽām al Ṣādirah'' (النعم السادرة), the Returning Ostriches. Zeta Sagittarii and

Pi Sagittarii Pi Sagittarii (π Sagittarii, abbreviated Pi Sgr, π Sgr) is a triple star system in the zodiac constellation of Sagittarius. It has an apparent visual magnitude of +2.89, bright enough to be readily seen with the naked ...

may have been the

Akkadian Akkadian or Accadian may refer to: * Akkadians, inhabitants of the Akkadian Empire * Akkadian language, an extinct Eastern Semitic language * Akkadian literature, literature in this language * Akkadian cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo- syllabi ...

''Gu-shi-rab‑ba'', the Yoke of the Sea. In the catalogue of stars in the ''Calendarium'' of Al Achsasi al Mouakket, this star was designated ''Thanih al Sadirah'', which was translated into

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

as ''Secunda τού al Sadirah'', meaning ''second returning ostrich''. In

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

, (), meaning '' Dipper'', refers to an asterism consisting of Sigma Sagittarii,

, Mu Sagittarii, Tau Sagittarii and

. Consequently, the Chinese name for Sigma Sagittarii itself is (, en, the Fourth Star of Dipper.)AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 5 月 11 日
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sigma Sagittarii B-type main-sequence stars Binary stars Sagittarius (constellation) Sagittarii, Sigma Durchmusterung objects Sagittarii, 34 175191 092855 7121 Nunki