Alpheratz

Definition

Alpheratz is a second-magnitude star at the head of Andromeda (its formal name is Alpha Andromedae). Until the International Astronomical Union redrew the constellation boundaries in 1928, the same star was also called Delta Pegasi, marking the northeastern corner of the Great Square of Pegasus. Today it sits at about 14 degrees Aries along the zodiac, adjusted for precession. That double membership — Pegasus in the past, Andromeda now — anchors much of the star's astrological symbolism.

In Tradition

In the Western fixed-star tradition (Robson 1923, public domain; Brady), Alpheratz is read as a beneficial star — it is tied to freedom, independence, ease of movement, and the ability to break loose from whatever holds you back. The double-constellation image — Andromeda freed from her chains, Pegasus the winged horse — reinforces themes of liberation and a soaring passage. Someone marked by Alpheratz is read as prizing liberty highly and prospering through movement, travel, or acting on their own; Robson assigns the star a Jupiter-Venus nature.

In Practice

Astrologers working with fixed stars count Alpheratz as active in a chart when a natal planet or angle conjoins its current position along the zodiac within roughly one degree, or when it is paran-related to a personal point. The traditional reading especially welcomes the star on the Ascendant, or with personal planets, in charts that turn on autonomy, travel, or release from constraint. The star has long been linked to good social and commercial outcomes through movement-based ventures — transport, trade, communication.

Historical Origin

Robson (1923, public domain) is the main pre-modern Western source for Alpheratz's astrological character, assigning it a Jupiter-Venus nature. Brady's *Brady's Book of Fixed Stars* is the modern revival reference. The star is not one of the fifteen Behenian stars (the Hermes 15 Stars manuscript tradition) and not one of the four Royal Stars of Persia. The IAU's 1928 constellation-boundary revision formally assigned it to Andromeda, as Alpha Andromedae.

Etymology

Origin: Arabic. Meaning: From Arabic Surrat al-Faras, meaning "navel of the horse," from its position in the Great Square of Pegasus.

Further Reading

• Vivian E. Robson, The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology
• Bernadette Brady, Brady's Book of Fixed Stars