The Fixed Stars

Alniyat

Sigma Scorpii, Al Niyat

From the Arabic al-niyat, the arteries or the outworks that guard the heart. It stands at about 8° Sagittarius (tropical).

One of the two arteries standing guard beside the Scorpion's heart.

The name Al Niyat was given to the pair of stars that flank Antares, Sigma and Tau Scorpii, read as the arteries or the outworks defending the heart. Sigma is the western of the two, a hot blue-white giant close enough to Antares to share its lodging. It falls within the Arabic mansion Al Qalb, the Heart, and within the nakshatra Jyeshtha, both of which are governed by Antares itself; the flanking stars are counted with the heart, not apart from it.

The name is shared with Tau Scorpii on the eastern side; both are read as belonging to the heart.