The Fixed Stars

Rutilicus

Rutilicus, a name of Zeta Herculis, sometimes Beta Herculis

An old name of uncertain origin, applied variously to Zeta and Beta Herculis. It stands at about 13° Sagittarius (tropical).

An old name settled uncertainly on the Kneeling Man's body.

Rutilicus is an old star-name whose origin is unsettled and which the tradition has attached now to Zeta Herculis, now to Beta. Zeta is a yellow star at a corner of the Keystone, the little quadrilateral that forms the torso of the Kneeling Man. The figure hangs head-downward in the northern sky, one foot near Draco's head, and gathers little of the fixed-star lore that collects along the zodiac. The name is the chief thing of interest here, a reminder of how loosely such names could wander between neighboring stars.

The name is applied variously to Zeta and Beta Herculis; both are registered under their own names elsewhere.