Star lore
Achernar
Direct answer
Achernar is Alpha Eridani, a hot blue star at the southern end of Eridanus and one of the night sky's brightest stars.
Achernar is the brilliant southern end of the celestial River.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Constellations & Star Lore
- Related
- Capella, Procyon, Altair, Deneb
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The story behind Achernar
The Arabic-derived name means end of the river, reflecting the extension of Eridanus on later southern maps.
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The Road of the Sun
Where the twelve signs came from, and why they carry the names they do.
Why Achernar matters
Achernar’s rapid rotation makes it noticeably flattened, offering an important real example of rotational distortion in stars.
Achernar in practice: an example
Interferometric observations reveal an equatorial diameter larger than its polar diameter.
Where readings of Achernar go wrong
Achernar was not the end star on the oldest surviving northern-limited versions of Eridanus.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- IAU Division C Working Group on Star Names - Official IAU working group responsible for standardizing star names used in international astronomy.
- CDS SIMBAD Astronomical Database - Professional astronomical database for stellar identifiers, positions, classifications, and bibliography.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Constellations & Star Lore
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
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Common questions
What is Achernar?
Achernar is Alpha Eridani, a hot blue star at the southern end of Eridanus and one of the night sky's brightest stars.
What does the name Achernar mean?
The Arabic-derived name means end of the river, reflecting the extension of Eridanus on later southern maps.
What do people get wrong about Achernar?
Achernar was not the end star on the oldest surviving northern-limited versions of Eridanus.
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