The Fixed Stars

Rasalgethi

Ras Algethi, Alpha Herculis

The head of the kneeler, from the Arabic ras al-jathi. It stands at about 17° Sagittarius (tropical).

The bowed head of the laboring hero, resting almost brow to brow with the serpent bearer.

The old sky drew Hercules upside down, kneeling, so his head star sits at the figure's southern edge, close beside Rasalhague, the head of Ophiuchus, two heroes nearly touching brows. It is a vast red giant that slowly swells and fades. Ebertin gives it a Mars and Venus character with a slight blend of Mercury, strength of purpose warmed by feeling, while Robson's Mercury note belongs to the constellation as a whole.

The Mars and Venus nature is Ebertin's attribution; Robson delineates the constellation rather than this star.