Beta Aurigae (β Aur, β Aurigae) is the Bayer designation for a binary star[10] system in the northern constellation ofAuriga. It has the traditional name Menkalinan, which is shortened from the Arabic منكب ذي العنانmankib ðī-l-‘inān "shoulder of the rein-holder". It is known as 五車三 (the Third Star of the Five Chariots) in traditional Chinese astronomy. The combined apparent visual magnitude of the system is 1.9,[2] making it the second brightest member of the constellation after Capella. Using the parallax measurements made during the Hipparcos mission, the distance to this star system can be estimated as 81.1 light-years (24.9 parsecs), give or take a half light year margin of error.[1]
