Beta Sagittae, also named Shakh, is a single star in the northern constellation of Sagitta. It is a faint star but visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.38. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 7.7237 mas as seen from the Gaia satellite, it is located 420 light years from the Sun. The star is moving closer to the Sun with a radial velocity of −22 km/s.
This is an evolved red giant with a stellar classification of . The suffix notation indicates a mild overabundance of the cyanogen molecule in the spectrum. Beta Sagittae is an estimated 129 million years old with 3.755 times the mass of the Sun, and has expanded to 25.7 times the Sun's radius. The star is radiating 369 times the Sun's luminosity from its enlarged photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,990 K.
Naming Beta Sagittae, Latinized from β Sagittae and abbreviated β Sge, is the star's Bayer designation. This star was part of the ancient Sumerian constellation ŠAḪ (Shakh), the Pig, with Alpha and Beta Sagittae possibly representing the pig's nose. The IAU Working Group on Star Names adopted the name Shakh for this star on 18 June 2026.
In Chinese astronomy, (), meaning Left Flag, refers to an asterism consisting of β Sagittae, α Sagittae, δ Sagittae, ζ Sagittae, γ Sagittae, 13 Sagittae, 11 Sagittae, 14 Sagittae and ρ Aquilae. Consequently, the Chinese name for β Sagittae itself is (, .) AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 7 月 3 日
References HR 7488, database entry