Alpha (α) Crater, Alkes, is a 4th magnitude orange star in the base of the Cup. Alkes is our title from the 16th century French scholar Scaliger, but it also has been Alker, and in the Alfonsine TablesAlhes: all from Arabic Al Kas, "the cup", of the constellation Crater. The Latin designation for it — Fundus vasis—well describes its position at the base of the Cup. Since it is the only named star in the figure (the constellation Crater), and the first lettered, it may have been brighter 300 years ago; but delta (δ), a 3.9-magnitude, is now the lucida, the brightest star in the constellation. Alpha (α) has several optical companions, and culminates on the 20th of April, about 32° nearly due south from beta (β) Leo. [Star Names, Their Lore and Meaning, Richard Hinckley Allen, 1889].
indications for crater, and its stars, are generally benefic; crater seems to have played some role connected with the timing of certain operations by the some of the old time alchemists.
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