Lambda Scorpii (Latinised from λ Scorpii, abbreviated Lambda Sco, λ Sco), formally named Shaula , is, despite being designated "λ" (Lambda), the second-brightest star system in the constellation of Scorpius, and one of the brightest stars in the night sky.
Nomenclature
λ Scorpii (Latinised to Lambda Scorpii) is the star system's Bayer designation.
It bore the traditional name Shaula, which comes from the Arabic الشولاء  al-šawlā´ meaning 'the raised [tail]', as it is found in the tail of Scorpius, the scorpion.
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 Shaula for the star λ Scorpii Aa.
In Indian Astronomy it is called MulA Nakshathram.
Mūla ("root") (Devanagari मूल/मूळ) (Tamil: மூலம்) is the 19th nakshatra or "lunar mansion" in Vedic astrology.
The symbol of Mula is a bunch of roots tied together (reticulated roots) or an 'elephant goad' (ankusha).
In Chinese,  (), meaning Tail, refers to an asterism consisting of λ Scorpii, ε Scorpii, ζ1 Scorpii, ζ2 Scorpii, η Scorpii, θ Scorpii, ι1 Scorpii, ι2 Scorpii, κ Scorpii, μ1 Scorpii, and υ Scorpii. 中國星座神話
, written by 陳久金.
Published by 台灣書房出版有限公司, 2005, .
Consequently, the Chinese name for λ Scorpii itself is  (), "the Eighth Star of Tail". 香港太空館
- 研究資源 - 亮星中英對照表 , Hong Kong Space Museum.
Accessed on line November 23, 2010.
Together with υ Scorpii (Lesath), Shaula is listed in the Babylonian compendium MUL.APIN as dSharur4 u dShargaz, meaning "Sharur and Shargaz".
In Coptic, they were called Minamref.
The indigenous Boorong people of northwestern Victoria (Australia) named it (together with Upsilon Scorpii) Karik Karik, "the Falcons".
Properties
Lambda Scorpii is located some 570 light-years away from the Sun.
Spectroscopic and interferometric observations have shown that it is actually a triple star system consisting of two B-type stars and a pre-main-sequence star.
The primary star is a Beta Cephei variable star with rapid brightness changes of about a hundredth of a magnitude.
The pre-main-sequence star has an orbital period of 6 days and the B companion has a period of 1053 days.
The three stars lie in the same orbital plane, strongly suggesting that they were formed at the same time.
The masses of the primary, pre-main-sequence star and the B companion are 14.5, 2.0 and 10.6 solar masses, respectively.
The age of the system is estimated to be in the range 10–13 million years.
A 15th-magnitude star has a separation of 42 arcseconds, whereas a 12th-magnitude star is 95 arcseconds away.
It is not known whether or not these components are physically associated with Lambda Scorpii.
If they both were, the first would have a projected linear separation of approximately 7,500 astronomical units (AU) and the second approximately 17,000 AU (0.27 light-years) away.
In culture
Shaula appears on the flag of Brazil, symbolizing the state of Rio Grande do Norte.
USS Shaula (AK-118) was a U.S. Navy Crater-class cargo ship named after the star.
References
Scorpii, Lambda Scorpii, 35 Category:B-type subgiants Category:Scorpius (constellation) 5 Category:Beta Cephei variables Shaula 085927 6527 158926 Category:Durchmusterung objects Category:White dwarfs
