Magnitude 4.03 Apparent magnitude (V) 4.03 | ||
Similar Delta Corvi, Gamma Corvi, Alpha Crateris, Eta Corvi, Nu Ursae Majoris | ||
Alpha Corvi (α Corvi, abbreviated Alpha Crv, α Crv), also named Alchiba, is a star in the constellation of Corvus.
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Nomenclature
α Corvi (Latinised to Alpha Corvi) is the star's Bayer designation.
It bore the traditional names Alchiba (Arabic ألخبا al-xibā "tent") and Al Minliar al Ghurab (Arabic منقار الغراب al-manxar al-ghurab) or Minkar al Ghurab. The latter appeared in the catalogue of stars in the Calendarium of Al Achsasi al Mouakket, which was translated into Latin as Rostrum Corvi (beak of the crow). In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name Alchiba for this star on 12 September 2016 and it is now so entered in the IAU Catalog of Star Names.
In Chinese astronomy, Alchiba is called 右轄, Pinyin: Yòuxiá, meaning Right Linchpin, because it stands alone in the Right Linchpin asterism, Chariot mansion (see: Chinese constellation), 右轄 (Yòuxiá), westernized into Yew Hea by R.H. Allen.
Namesake
USS Alchiba (AKA-6) is a former United States Navy ship.
Properties
Alchiba belongs to the spectral class F1V and has apparent magnitude +4.00. It is 48.7 ± 0.1 light years from Earth. This star exhibits periodic changes in its spectrum over a three-day period, which suggests it is either a spectroscopic binary or (more likely) a pulsating Gamma Doradus-type variable.