Gamma Andromedae

In 1778, German physicist Johann Tobias Mayer discovered that γ Andromedae is a double star. When examined in a small telescope, it appears to be a bright, golden-yellow star next to a dimmer, indigo-blue star, separated by approximately 10 arcseconds. The pair is often considered by stargazers to be a beautiful double star with a striking contrast of color. The brighter member, γ1 Andromedae, is the primary of the system, and is thus designated component γ Andromedae A. It has the official proper name Almach , which was used as the traditional name of the naked eye star, and thus the system as a whole. The fainter secondary is γ2 Andromedae or γ Andromedae B. It was later discovered that γ2 Andromedae is itself a triple star system. What appears as a single star to the naked eye is thus a quadruple star system. == Nomenclature ==

γ Andromedae (Latinised to Gamma Andromedae) is the system's Bayer designation; γ1 and γ2 Andromedae those of its two constituents. The designations of those constituents as Gamma Andromedae A and B derive from the convention used by the Washington Multiplicity Catalog (WMC) for multiple star systems, and adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). In 2016, the IAU organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name Almach for the component Gamma Andromedae A on 20 July 2016 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names. Another term for this star used by medieval astronomers writing in Arabic was رجل المسلسلة (Rijl al Musalsalah), "Foot of The [Chained] Woman". In Chinese, (), meaning ''Heaven's Great General'', refers to an asterism consisting of γ Andromedae, φ Persei, 51 Andromedae, 49 Andromedae, χ Andromedae, υ Andromedae, τ Andromedae, 56 Andromedae, β Trianguli, γ Trianguli and δ Trianguli. Consequently, the Chinese name for γ Andromedae itself is (, ). In the Babylonian star catalogues, γ Andromedae, together with Triangulum, formed the constellation known as MULAPIN () "The Plough". Astrologically, this star was considered "honourable and eminent". ==Stellar properties==

γ1 Andromedae A is a massive bright giant star with a spectral classification of K2+IIb. The γ2 Andromedae BC sub-system, with an overall apparent visual magnitude of 4.84, The components are an object of apparent visual magnitude 5.5, γ Andromedae B, and an A-type main-sequence star with apparent visual magnitude 6.3, γ Andromedae C. Photometric observations in 2026 revealed that B's components eclipse each other, making it an eclipsing binary. The two orbits may be coplanar. ==Almach as a name==

was the name of a United States navy ship. ==See also==