Magnitude 2.98 | ||
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Constellation Eridanus in Chinese astronomy Similar Theta Eridani, Delta Eridani, Zeta Eridani, 40 Eridani, Alpha Columbae | ||
Gamma Eridani (γ Eridani, abbreviated Gamma Eri, γ Eri), also named Zaurak, is a star in the constellation of Eridanus. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 2.91 and lies at a distance of about 203 light years from the Sun, as determined by the Hipparcos astrometry satellite. This is an evolved red giant star that is currently on the asymptotic giant branch of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram. It is a slow irregular variable with a peak magnitude of 2.88.
Nomenclature
Gamma Eridani is the star's Bayer designation. It has the traditional name Zaurak, alternatively spelled Zaurac, which is Arabic for 'boat'. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN's first bulletin of July 2016 included a table of the first two batches of names approved by the WGSN; which included Zaurak for this star.
In Chinese, 天苑 (Tiān Yuàn), meaning Celestial Meadows, refers to an asterism consisting of γ Eridani, δ Eridani, π Eridani, ε Eridani, ζ Eridani, η Eridani, π Ceti, τ1 Eridani, τ2 Eridani, τ3 Eridani, τ4 Eridani, τ5 Eridani, τ6 Eridani, τ7 Eridani, τ8 Eridani and τ9 Eridani. Consequently, γ Eridani itself is known as 天苑一 (Tiān Yuàn yī, English: the First [Star] of Celestial Meadows.)
USS Zaurak (AK-117) was a United States Navy Crater class cargo ship named after the star.