Called "The Central One", Alcyone is the central or main star and also the largest star of the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters; the seven stars which are situated on the shoulder blade of Taurus, the Bull. Alcyone is often seen as representing the whole group that are all situated within one degree. In Greek Mythology, Alcyone, who in grief over the death of her husband Ceyx, threw herself into the sea and was changed into a halcyon; a bird identified with the kingfisher, believed to have had the power to calm the wind and the waves at the time of the winter solstice when it nested on the sea. Halcyon means tranquil and free from disturbance or care; prosperous; golden: as in "halcyon years". Other versions make Alcyone, and her six sisters, the daughters of Atlas. Some said that it was because of the daughters' grief over Atlas, their father, whose labor in bearing the world, was the cause of their transformation and subsequent transfer to the heavens. This c...

A star in the tail of the Sea Goat Capricornus. The Arabic name for Nashira is Sa'd Nashirah, "The lucky star of Nashirah" or "the Fortunate One", or "the Bringer of Good Tidings", which the early Arabs applied to this when taken with delta (Deneb Algedi). Ideler said that these stars (Deneb Algedi and Nashira) were Al Muhibbain, "the Two Friends", an Arabic allegorical title for any two closely associated objects; but Beigel differed with him as to this, and wrote it Al Muhanaim, "the Two Bending Stars", in the flexure of the tail. Gamma marked the 27th Babylonian ecliptic asterism, Mahar sha hi-na Shahu, "the Western One in the Tail of the Goat". With delta (Deneb Algedi), epsilon (Castra), kappa and stars in Aquarius and Pisces it was the Chinese Luy Pei Chen, "the Intrenched Camp". (Allen). This star, Nashira and Deneb Algedi are particularly representitive of the idea of the Fish-Goat or Sea-Goat...