Star Names
The Auspice of Rain (sa’d matar)
The Auspice of Rain (sa’d al-matar)
The Auspice of Rain is one of the ten Auspicious Asterisms (as-su’ud). The Arabic term indicates good fortune or something that is auspicious, especially a star. The Auspicious Asterisms are all pairs of otherwise unremarkable stars, except for one that is comprised of four stars. The Auspice of Rain set amid the setting of the Two Spouts that heralded the heavy marking rains (al-wasmi) of autumn.
The Auspice of Rain (sa’d matar) as it appears in the west about 45 minutes before sunrise in early August. Sky simulations made with Stellarium.
Appearance
A pair of stars close to each other, one dimmer than the other.
Modern Identification
η PEG (Matar), yellow giant star, magnitude 2.9
ο PEG, blue-white star, magnitude 4.8
Timing
The Auspice of Rain set with the First Spout (al-fargh al-awal) of the Well Bucket (ad-dalw). On account of the precession of the equinoxes, today we can expect to observe the Auspice of Rain setting in early October and rising in early February, as seen from the latitude of Tucson. (See How to Observe on the About page for more on this topic.)
Rain Stars
The Auspicious Asterisms do not figure in the calendar of the rains stars.
Lunar Stations
The Auspice of Rain is not one of the lunar stations, but four of the other Auspicious Asterisms are: the Auspice of the Slaughterer (sa’d adh-dhabih), the Voracious Auspice (sa’d bul’), the Auspice of Auspices (sa’d as-su’ud) and the Auspice of Woolen Tents (sa’d akhbiya).
Related Stars and Celestial Complexes
The Auspice of Rain is part of the Auspicious Asterisms (as-su’ud, السعود) folkloric celestial complex.
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