XI Cephei

Xi Cephei (ξ Cep, ξ Cephei) is a star in the constellation Cepheus. It has the traditional name Kurhah or Alkirdah or Al Kirduh, and the name was from Al Ḳurḥaḥ (القرحة - al-qurhah), an Arabic word that translated as a white spot, or blaze, in the face of a horse and other suggestion was Al Ḳirdah (ألقردة - al qírada), the Ape. Xi Cephei belongs to spectral class A3/6Vm and has apparent magnitude +4.29. It is approximately 100 light years from Earth.

Coordinates (equinox J2000.0):

  • Right ascension: 22h03m47.40s
  • Declination: +64°37'40.0"

It is a spectroscopic binary.

In Chinese, 天鈎 (Tiān Gōu), meaning Celestial Hook, refers to an asterism consisting of ξ Cephei, 4 Cephei, HD 194298, η Cephei, θ Cephei, α Cephei, 26 Cephei, ι Cephei and ο Cephei. Consequently, ξ Cephei itself is known as 天鈎六 (Tiān Gōu liù, English: the Sixth Star of Celestial Hook.).