Changes

==Altair in history==

==Altair in history==

The common name of Altair is derived from the [[Arabic]] phase النسر الطائر, ''an-nasr aţ-ţā’ir'' or "The Flying Eagle", the name has been in use since the Medieval Era.  Originally the Arabic phrase applied to the pattern Altair formed along with Beta and Gamma Aquilae.  The idea of Altair as the eagle or as a part of the eagle possibly goes back to ancient Babylon or Sumeria, as both civilizations referred to the star as the eagle star.<ref name="myth">>pp. 17–18, A Dictionary of Modern Star Names, Paul Kunitzsch and Tim Smart, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Sky Publishing, 2006, ISBN 978-1-931559-44-7.</ref>

The common name of Altair is derived from the [[Arabic]] phase النسر الطائر, ''an-nasr aţ-ţā’ir'' or "The Flying Eagle", the name has been in use since the Medieval Era.  Originally the Arabic phrase applied to the pattern Altair formed along with Beta and Gamma Aquilae.  The idea of Altair as the eagle or as a part of the eagle possibly goes back to ancient Babylon or Sumeria, as both civilizations referred to the star as the eagle star.<ref name="myth">pp. 17–18, A Dictionary of Modern Star Names, Paul Kunitzsch and Tim Smart, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Sky Publishing, 2006, ISBN 978-1-931559-44-7.</ref>

The [[Chinese]] referred to Altair itself as 河鼓二 (''Hé Gŭ èr'' or Second Star of the Drum at the River) due to the asterism the star formed along with Beta and Gamma Aquilae called 河鼓 (''Hé Gŭ'' or River Drum).<ref name="myth"/>  However the star was also commonly called 牛郎星 (''Niú Láng Xīng'' or Star of the Cowhead), where it is associated with Chinese [[mythology]] in reference to the stars.  In [[Japan]], Altair has a similar name 彦星 (''Hikoboshi'', or Cow Herder Star), based on the same [[mythology]].<ref>p. 72, China, Japan, Korea Culture and Customs: Culture and Customs, Ju Brown and John Brown, 2006, ISBN 9781419648939.</ref>

The [[Chinese]] referred to Altair itself as 河鼓二 (''Hé Gŭ èr'' or Second Star of the Drum at the River) due to the asterism the star formed along with Beta and Gamma Aquilae called 河鼓 (''Hé Gŭ'' or River Drum).<ref name="myth"/>  However the star was also commonly called 牛郎星 (''Niú Láng Xīng'' or Star of the Cowhead), where it is associated with Chinese [[mythology]] in reference to the stars.  In [[Japan]], Altair has a similar name 彦星 (''Hikoboshi'', or Cow Herder Star), based on the same [[mythology]].<ref>p. 72, China, Japan, Korea Culture and Customs: Culture and Customs, Ju Brown and John Brown, 2006, ISBN 9781419648939.</ref>