λ Scorpii (Latinised to Lambda Scorpii) is the star system's Bayer designation.
It bore the traditional name Shaula, which comes from the Arabic الشولاء al-šawlā´ meaning 'the raised [tail]', as it is found in the tail of Scorpius, the scorpion. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)[12] to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN's first bulletin of July 2016[13] included a table of the first two batches of names approved by the WGSN, which included Shaula for the star λ Scorpii Aa.
In Indian Astronomy it is called MulA Nakshathram. Mūla ("root") (Devanagari मूल/मूळ) (Tamil: மூலம்) is the 19th nakshatra or "lunar mansion" in Vedic astrology. The symbol of Mula is a bunch of roots tied together (reticulated roots) or an 'elephant goad' (ankusha).[citation needed]
The indigenous Boorong people of northwestern Victoria (Australia) named it (together with Upsilon Scorpii) Karik Karik,[18] "the Falcons".[19]
Properties
A light curve for Lambda Scorpii, plotted from TESS data.[20] The large dips in brightness are eclipses, and the rapid oscillations show the Beta Cephei variability.
Lambda Scorpii is located some 570 light-years away from the Sun.
Spectroscopic and interferometric observations have shown that it is actually a triple star system consisting of two B-type stars and a pre-main-sequence star.[8] The primary star is a Beta Cephei variable star with rapid brightness changes of about a hundredth of a magnitude.[6][5] The pre-main-sequence star has an orbital period of 6 days and the B companion has a period of 1053 days. The three stars lie in the same orbital plane, strongly suggesting that they were formed at the same time. The masses of the primary, pre-main-sequence star and the B companion are 14.5, 2.0 and 10.6 solar masses, respectively. The age of the system is estimated to be in the range 10–13 million years.
A 15th-magnitude star has a separation of 42 arcseconds, whereas a 12th-magnitude star is 95 arcseconds away. It is not known whether or not these components are physically associated with Lambda Scorpii. If they both were, the first would have a projected linear separation of approximately 7,500 astronomical units (AU) and the second approximately 17,000 AU (0.27 light-years) away. Gaia Data Release 3 reports that the fainter of these two stars is a little larger and brighter than the sun and about 420 light years away,[21] while the brighter star is a luminous background object.[22]
^Kunitzsch, Paul; Smart, Tim (2006). A Dictionary of Modern star Names: A Short Guide to 254 Star Names and Their Derivations (2nd rev. ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Sky Pub. ISBN978-1-931559-44-7.
^ abHamdy, M. A.; Abo Elazm, M. S.; Saad, S. M. (1993). "A catalogue of spectral classification and photometric data of B-type stars". Astrophysics and Space Science. 203 (1): 53–107. Bibcode:1993Ap&SS.203...53H. doi:10.1007/BF00659414. S2CID122459090.
^Rogers, J. H. (February 1998). "Origins of the ancient constellations: I. The Mesopotamian traditions". Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 108 (1): 9–28. Bibcode:1998JBAA..108....9R.
^Stanbridge, William Edward (1857). "On the astronomy and mythology of the Aborigines of Victoria". Proceedings of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria. 2: 137. Bibcode:1857PPIVT...2..137S.
