tan," meaning "a sign," this star having marked the vernal equinox in the days of Hipparchus.
Gamma Arietis has been called the "First star in Aries" as at one time it was nearest to the equinoctial point. It is a beautiful double star, easily visible in a small telescope, and was discovered to be double by Dr. Hooke in 1664. This star was known to the Arabs as "Mesarthim," meaning the "two attendants," a reference to Beta and Gamma Arietis, these two stars being considered as attendants on Hamal. The Persians called these stars "The Protecting Pair."
The faint stars east of Hamal on the back of the Ram form a little group known as "Musca Borealis," the Northern Fly. The figure appears in Burritt's Atlas. According to Allen the inventor of this asterism is unknown. Musca has been also styled "the Wasp" and "the Bee." It comes to the meridian on the 17th of December at 9 p.m.
