Beta Serpentis

Beta Serpentis (β Ser, β Serpentis) is a star system in the constellation Serpens, in its head (Serpens Caput).

Beta Serpentis is approximately 150 light years from Earth and is a member of the Ursa Major Moving Group.

The primary component, Beta Serpentis A, is a white A-type main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of +3.65. It has two companions, the magnitude +9.9 B, 31 arcseconds distant, and the magnitude +10.7 C, 201 arcseconds away.

It was a member of indigenous Arabic asterism al-Nasaq al-Sha'āmī, "the Northern Line" of al-Nasaqān "the Two Lines", along with β Her (Kornephoros), γ Her (Hejian, Ho Keen) and γ Ser (Zheng, Ching).

According to the catalogue of stars in the Technical Memorandum 33-507 - A Reduced Star Catalog Containing 537 Named Stars, al-Nasaq al-Sha'āmī or Nasak Shamiya were the title for three stars :β Ser as Nasak Shamiya I, γ Ser as Nasak Shamiya II, γ Her as Nasak Shamiya III (exclude β Her)

In Chinese, 天市右垣 (Tiān Shì Yòu Yuán), meaning Right Wall of Heavenly Market Enclosure, refers to an asterism which is represent eleven old states in China which is marking the right borderline of the enclosure, consisting of β Serpentis, β Herculis, γ Herculis, κ Herculis, γ Serpentis, δ Serpentis, α Serpentis, ε Serpentis, δ Ophiuchi, ε Ophiuchi and ζ Ophiuchi. Consequently, β Serpentis itself is known as 天市右垣五 (Tiān Shì Yòu Yuán wu, English: the Fifth Star of Right Wall of Heavenly Market Enclosure), represent Zhou (周) (possibly Chow, the dynasty in China), together with η Capricorni and 21 Capricorni in Twelve States (asterism).