Astrology wiki
Explore wiki concepts, word origins, evidence and their connections to traditions and tools.
6 terms
Aldebaran →
Also: Alpha Tauri · the Follower
The IAU-recognised proper name for Alpha Tauri, a bright star in Taurus.
Word origin, evidence & sources
A Smithsonian history of Arabic star names, citing al-Sufi, explains the root as ‘to follow’ and relates it to following the Pleiades. Ptolemy instead calls the reddish Hyad ‘the Torch’ in the cited translation.
The IAU identifies Aldebaran as Alpha Tauri. The Torch/Mars attribution belongs to Ptolemy’s reported inherited observations and must not be recast as a Brady-style angular reading.
Antares →
Also: Alpha Scorpii · heart of the Scorpion
The IAU-recognised proper name for Alpha Scorpii A, a bright stellar component in Scorpius.
Word origin, evidence & sources
Etymonline analyses the name as contracted anti-Ares, ‘rival of Mars’, in reference to its red appearance. This is name history, not a calculation rule.
Fomalhaut →
Also: Alpha Piscis Austrini · mouth of the Southern Fish
The IAU-recognised proper name for Alpha Piscis Austrini A, a bright stellar component in Piscis Austrinus.
Word origin, evidence & sources
The name means ‘mouth of the [Southern] Fish’. The IAU notes many historical spellings and names, so this entry avoids treating one form as exhaustive.
The IAU list attaches Fomalhaut to Alpha Piscis Austrini A. Ptolemy’s Venus-and-Mercury likeness for the bright mouth star is a comparative historical attribution, not a promised modern paran meaning.
Regulus →
Also: Alpha Leonis · the heart of Leo
The IAU-recognised proper name for Alpha Leonis A, a bright star in Leo.
Word origin, evidence & sources
The name means ‘little king’, a diminutive of Latin rex; this lexical fact does not prove a doctrine of kingship.
Sirius →
Also: Alpha Canis Majoris · Dog Star
The IAU-recognised proper name for Alpha Canis Majoris A, the bright star in Canis Major used here as a selectable astronomical target.
Word origin, evidence & sources
LSJ records seirios as the dog-star and ‘the scorcher’; the name’s older derivation is not settled here.
The catalogue models the direction of the named Sirius target; a component name does not imply that the event solver models its binary orbit. The Greek name and Ptolemaic comparison are historical records, not measured personal effects.
Spica →
Also: Alpha Virginis · ear of grain
The IAU-recognised proper name for Alpha Virginis Aa, a bright stellar component in Virgo.
Word origin, evidence & sources
The Latin noun denotes an ear or spike of grain. It names the star but does not itself prescribe an interpretive outcome.
The IAU list attaches Spica to Alpha Virginis Aa. Ptolemy’s Venus-with-lesser-Mars likeness is a source-specific comparison, not evidence for a fixed result when a modern tool finds an angular event.