Etymology
"Epsilon Aurigae" is the system's Bayer designation (invented by German astronomer Johann Bayer in his 1603 atlas, Uranometria). The star is also known colloquially as "Almaaz", "Haldus" or "Al Anz." Both Almaaz and Al Anz derive from the Arabic اَلْمَاعَزْ al-mācz "(billy) goat", corresponding to the name of the star Capella, Latin for "nanny goat".
In Chinese, 柱 (Zhù), meaning Pillars, refers to an asterism consisting of ε Aurigae, ζ Aurigae, η Aurigae, υ Aurigae, ν Aurigae, τ Aurigae, χ Aurigae and 26 Aurigae. Consequently, ε Aurigae itself is known as 柱一 (Zhù yī, English: the First Star of Pillars.)
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