α Hydrae (
Latinised to
Alpha Hydrae) is the star's
Bayer designation. The traditional name
Alphard is from the
Arabic الفرد (
al-fard), "the individual", there being no other bright stars near it. It was also known as the "backbone of the Serpent" to the
Arabs. In the catalogue of stars in the
Calendarium of Al Achsasi Al Mouakket, it was designated
Soheil al Fard, which was translated into
Latin as
Soheil Solitarius, meaning
the bright solitary one. In 2016, the
International Astronomical Union organized a
Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN's first bulletin of July 2016 included a table of the first two batches of names approved by the WGSN; which included
Alphard for this star. It is now so entered in the IAU Catalog of Star Names. The Danish astronomer
Tycho Brahe dubbed it
Cor Hydræ, Latin for 'the heart of Hydra'. In
Chinese, (), meaning
Star, refers to an
asterism consisting of Alphard,
τ1 Hydrae,
τ2 Hydrae,
ι Hydrae,
26 Hydrae,
27 Hydrae,
HD 82477 and
HD 82428. Consequently, Alphard itself is known as (), "the First Star of Star". In
ancient China it formed part of an asterism called the "red bird". ==Properties==