Al Tarf

AL TARF (Beta Cancri). Surely, if Cancer (the Crab) were anywhere but on the ecliptic, the apparent pathway of the Sun, it never would have been made into a constellation by the ancients.

Altarf, Al Tarf, Tarf, 17 Cancri, HR 3249, HD 69267, BD+09°1917, FK5 312, HIP 40526, SAO 116569, GC 11254, ADS 6704, CCDM 08165+0911 ...

Named stars: Alpha Can (Acubens/Sertan), Beta Can (Al Tarf)
Info: Cancer is one of the 13 zodiacal constellations (that is, the Sun passes through it in the course of the year). This constellation contains the star cluster Praesepe (arab: Meleph) ...

The brightest star in the Cancer constellation is [1209] beta Cancri, also known as Tarf or Al Tarf, with an apparent magnitude of 3.50. The primary component is an orange K-type giant 290 light-years distant from Earth.

At the center of the crab's shell is a huge open cluster, the Beehive cluster, also known as Praesepe (M44). The open cluster M67 is nearby. The brightest star in Cancer is Acubens (meaning claw); the second-brightest is Al Tarf (meaning tip).