Kaus Australis

Authors: IAU-WGSN Etymology Group, Roland Laffitte, Susanne M Hoffmann, Youla Azkarrula, IanRidpath

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Kaus Australis (القوس) is a modern star name adopted by the International Astronomical Union in the IAU-Catalog of Star Names (IAU-CSN). Its origin is Arabic. It is the name of HIP 90185 (ε Sgr, HR 6879) in constellation Sgr.

Etymology and History

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Sagittarius with Arabic star names (CC BY Laffitte 2025).

Arbitrarily applied in recent times, together with the Latin distinctions of "middle", "southern", and "northern" (for λ Sgr), from the ind-A (and later sci-A) constellation name al-qaus, "the Bow". For the ind-Arabs, al-qaus was marked by the curved line of stars ξ², o, π, d, ρ and υ Sgr (corresponding to what in other cultures was Sagittarius among the zodiacal signs). The sci-Arabs used the indigenous name for the Greeks' Archer, alternatively translated as al-rami.

Roland Laffitte (2025)

Ce nom, donné par Piazzi pour le groupe δελ Sgr dans le cadre de la figure grecque reprise par les astronomes arabes de l’époque clas-sique (voir δ Sgr), est aujourd’hui approuvé par l’UAI.

AUTRE NOM : Alwarida Tertia. Ar. الواردة [النعايم] [al-Na^cā’im] al-Wārida p/ le groupe γδεη Sgr (voir l’étoile à η Sgr p/ les explications). Quant à ε Sgr, nous avons, via M. A. Sédillot, Alwarida tertia, puis Benhamouda, et, par le truchement d’al-Aḫsāsī et de Knobel ‘Thalath al Warida – Tertia τῶν Al Warida’.

English

This name, given by Piazzi to the δελ Sgr group based on the Greek constellation adopted by Arab astronomers of the classical period (see δ Sgr), is now approved by the IAU.

ALTERNATIVE NAME: Alwarida Tertia. Ar. الواردة [النعايم] [al-Nacā’im] al-Wārida for the γδεη Sgr group (see the star at η Sgr for explanations). As for ε Sgr, we have, via M. A. Sédillot, Alwarida tertia, then Benhamouda, and, through al-Aḫsāsī and Knobel, ‘Thalath al Warida – Tertia τῶν Al Warida’.

IAU Working Group on Star Names

The name was adopted by the IAU WGSN on 2016/07/20.

Weblinks

• Website of the IAU WGSN: https://exopla.net/

Reference

• References (general)
• Kunitzsch, Paul; Smart, Tim (2006). A Dictionary of Modern star Names: A Short Guide to 254 Star Names and Their Derivations (2nd rev. ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Sky Pub.