Alkaid (Benetnash, Eta Ursae Majoris)
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Arabic celestial globe, 1601-1700
The silver stars on this globe are labelled with their Arabic names. We still use many Arabic names to describe the stars today – in the constellation of Orion the Hunter, the star Rigel is named after the Arabic word for ‘foot’. Arabic mathematicians would have used globes like this one to assist with astronomical calculations and to refine calendars.