Zeta Eridani is the primary or 'A' component of a multiple star system designated WDS J03158-0849 (the secondary or 'B' component is 14 Eridani).[11] Zeta Eridani's two components are therefore designated WDS J03158-0849 Aa and Ab. Aa is formally named Zibal/ˈzaɪbəl/, the traditional name for the system.[12]
Zeta Eridani bore the traditional name of Zibal. This is an old misreading of the Arabic رئل riʼal "ostrich chicks" (with the carrier letter for the glottal stop taken for a 'b', and ر 'r' taken for ز 'z'), originally applied to a number of stars near Beid and Keid.[14]
In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)[15] to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN decided to attribute proper names to individual stars rather than entire multiple systems.[16] It approved the name Zibal for the component WDS J03158-0849 Aa on 12 September 2016 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names.[12]
The system displays a statistically significant infrared excess at a wavelength of 70 μm. This suggests the presence of an orbiting debris disk. The temperature of the dust is 70 K, indicating an orbital distance of 31 AU. It has an estimated mass of about 0.26% of the Earth.[18]
^ abcdeIliev, I. Kh.; et al. (August 2006), "Abundance analysis of Am binaries and search for tidally driven abundance anomalies - II. HD861, HD18778, HD20320, HD29479, HD96528 and HD108651", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 370 (2): 819–827, Bibcode:2006MNRAS.370..819I, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10513.x, S2CID56133360.
^Abt, H. A.; Levy, S. G. (October 1985), "Improved study of metallic-line binaries", Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 59: 229–247, Bibcode:1985ApJS...59..229A, doi:10.1086/191070.
^Hessman, F. V.; Dhillon, V. S.; Winget, D. E.; Schreiber, M. R.; Horne, K.; Marsh, T. R.; Guenther, E.; Schwope, A.; Heber, U. (2010). "On the naming convention used for multiple star systems and extrasolar planets". arXiv:1012.0707 [astro-ph.SR].
^Kunitzsch, Paul; Smart, Tim (2006). A Dictionary of Modern star Names: A Short Guide to 254 Star Names and Their Derivations (2nd rev. ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Sky Pub. ISBN978-1-931559-44-7.