Alpheratz

noun

Al·​phe·​ratz al-ˈfē-ˌrats 

astronomy

: a white binary star of the second magnitude that is the brightest star in the constellation Andromeda

Only a bit more than one day past full, the waning gibbous moon rises shortly after dark almost exactly at the Vernal Equinox, in the constellation Pisces. Mark the moon's position relative to Alpheratz and Algenib, the two stars along the eastern (left hand) edge of the Square, and you can easily remember from those stars where the Vernal Equinox is located.

—Thomas D. Nicholson, Christian Science Monitor, 26 Aug. 1982

called also Alpha Andromedae

Word History

First Known Use

1807, in the meaning defined above

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