φ Sagittarii (Phi Sagittarii)

Phi Sagittarii is a B8 class giant approximately 231 light years from Earth. It has an
apparent magnitude of 3.17. It is one of the stars that form the Teapot asterism; it
marks the junction of the handle and the lid of the Teapot.

Albaldah – π Sagittarii (Pi Sagittarii)

Pi Sagittarii is also sometimes known as Albaldah, from the Arabic bálda, which
means “the town.” Egyptian astronomer Al Achsasi al Mouakket designated it Nir al
Beldat in his star catalogue Calendarium in the mid-17th century. Nir al Beldat was
later translated into Latin as Lucida Oppidi, which means “the brightest of the town.”

Pi Sagittarii is a triple star system approximately 440 light years distant, with an
apparent magnitude of 2.88. It belongs to the spectral class F2II. The primary star has
two companions; Pi Sagittarii B 0.1 arc seconds away and Pi Sagittarii C 0.4 arc
seconds away.

Like several other stars in Sagittarius, Albaldah is near the ecliptic and can
occasionally be occulted by the Moon and planets. The next occultation by a planet
(Venus) will take place in our lifetime: on February 17, 2035.

Alnasl (Nushaba) – γ Sagittarii (Gamma Sagittarii)

Gamma Sagittarii is a K type (K0III) giant star with an apparent magnitude of 2.98. It
is approximately 96.1 light years distant. The Gamma designation used to be shared
by two star systems in Sagittarius, Gamma-1 and Gamma-2, which were separated by
0.86° in the sky.

Gamma Sagittarii is also known by its traditional names, Alnasl and Nushaba. Alnasl
comes from the Arabic al-naşl which means “arrowhead,” and Nushaba is derived
from Zujj al-Nashshaba, which means the same thing.

τ Sagittarii (Tau Sagittarii)

Tau Sagittarii is an orange giant star belonging to the spectral type K1 or K2,
approximately 120 light years distant. It has an apparent magnitude of 3.32. It is one
of the stars that mark the handle of the Teapot asterism. It is located between Zeta
and Sigma Sagittarii. It is a suspected binary star, even though a companion has
never been confirmed.