Gamma Capricorni
Gamma Capricorni, named Nashira, is a giant star in the constellation of Capricornus. Based on parallax measurements obtained during the Hipparcos mission, it is about 139 light-years from the Sun. It is 2.56 degrees south of the ecliptic, so it can be occulted by the Moon, and by planets.Nomenclature
γ Capricorni is the star's Bayer designation.
It bore the traditional name Nashira, derived from the Arabic سعد ناشرة sa'd nashirah "the lucky one" or "bearer of good news". In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name Nashira for this star on 21 August 2016 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names.
In Chinese, 壘壁陣, meaning Line of Ramparts, refers to an asterism consisting of Gamma Capricorni, Kappa Capricorni, Epsilon Capricorni, Delta Capricorni, Iota Aquarii, Sigma Aquarii, Lambda Aquarii, Phi Aquarii, 27 Piscium, 29 Piscium, 33 Piscium and 30 Piscium. Consequently, the Chinese name for Gamma Capricorni itself is 壘壁陣三.Namesake
was a United States Navy ship, though it was never commissioned and never bore the USS designation.Properties
γ Capricorni is a hot chemically peculiar Am star with a mean apparent magnitude of +3.67. It is classified as an α2 Canum Venaticorum type variable star and its brightness varies by 0.03 magnitudes.
