Alphard is also the name of a programming language.
'Alphard (? Hya / ? Hydrae / Alpha Hydrae) is the brightest star in the constellation Hydra, marking the heart of the snake.Alphard is an orange giant star. The name Alphard is from the Arabic ???|????? (Al Fard), "the solitary one."Precise radial velocity measurements Setiawan, J., Roth, M., Weise, P., Dölinger, M. P. (2006) Multi-periodic oscillations of HD 32887 and HD 81797. Memorie della Societa Astronomica Italiana, 77, p.510 have shown variations in the stellar radial velocities and spectral line profiles. The oscillations are multi-periodic with periods from several hours up to several days. The short-term oscillations were assumed to be a result of stellar pulsations, similar to the solar ones. A correlation between the variations in the asymmetry of the spectral line profile and the radial velocity has also been found. The multi-periodic oscillations make HD 81797 (Alphard) an object of interest for asteros
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphard