Traditional Star Names
Encyclopedia
Some astronomical object
s have proper names (common names, popular names, traditional names; as opposed to catalogue numbers or other systematic designations).
This trivially includes the naked-eye planets as well as the Sun
and Moon
.
A small number of stars have proper names in pre-modern astronomical tradition, but most naked-eye stars are identified by their Bayer
or Flamsteed designation
s.
In modern astronomy, there has been a tradition of giving proper names to newly-discovered heavenly bodies,
initiated with the discovery of the planets beyond Saturn, and later extended to minor planets and moons.
is done by the International Astronomical Union
(IAU).
For the brightest stars, nomenclature is based on the Bayer designation
, first published for a total of 1,564 naked-eye stars in 1603. Only a minority of these have proper names. Many of the proper names that remain in use in modern astronomy are based on Arabic star names from medieval Islamic astronomy, which in turn was substantiall based on Claudius Ptolemy’s Almagest
, which contained the original Greek
and Latin names for stars.
For example, the Arabs translated Opisthen (Οπισθεν "after" or "following") or Opiso (Οπισω "to follow after"), one of the original Greek names for the brightest star in Taurus, as Aldebaran
(الدبران), which means "the Follower" in Arabic, because the star always follows behind the Pleiades
as both move across the sky.
Most proper names for stars, especially the Arabic names, are descriptive of the locations of the stars within their parent constellations. For example, the star named Rigel
(Arabic for "foot") marks the left foot of Orion the Hunter. Deneb
(Arabic for "tail") marks the tail of Cygnus the Swan.
While most Arabic star names are translations from Ptolemy's Almagest
, a small number of stars have retained names from native Arabian tradition; for example, there is a star in Lepus the Hare named Nihal, meaning "The Camels Quenching Their Thirst" in Arabic, because Lepus ("the hare") was seen as a caravan
of camel
s in ancient Arabia.
A small number of Greek and Latin names have been preserved from antiquity, and have not been replaced by names derived from their Arabic equivalents. Examples include Sirius
(Greek for "searing" or "scorching"), Arcturus (Greek for "Guardian of the Bear"), Capella
(Latin for "Little She-goat"), and Spica
(Latin for "Ear of Grain").
A small number of star names are also found in Chinese and Indian traditional astronomy, but as in Ptolemaic tradition, these traditions focussed on asterisms or groups of stars, and only a handful of stars were given individual names. Examples include Chinese Koo She
"bow and arrow") and Sanskrit Chitra
"the bright one".
There are also contemporary proper names given to some stars, many of which refer to accomplished astronomers, deceased astronauts and English titles. For example, Gamma Velorum
is named Regor, which is "Roger" spelled backwards; the name honors Astronaut
Roger B. Chaffee
, who died in the Apollo I tragedy. Other contemporary names include The Persian (Alpha Indi
) and The Head of Hydrus (Alpha Hydri
), Herschel's Garnet Star (Mu Cephei
), Barnard's Star
, etc.
Some independent astronomical and astrological businesses or organizations claim to sell the opportunity to "name a star". These names are not recognized by the International Astronomical Union
(IAU). The IAU is the most influential organization that names stars and other celestial objects; it is the only one recognized by mainstream astronomers, on star maps, and in science textbooks.
Astronomical object
Astronomical objects or celestial objects are naturally occurring physical entities, associations or structures that current science has demonstrated to exist in the observable universe. The term astronomical object is sometimes used interchangeably with astronomical body...
s have proper names (common names, popular names, traditional names; as opposed to catalogue numbers or other systematic designations).
This trivially includes the naked-eye planets as well as the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
and Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
.
A small number of stars have proper names in pre-modern astronomical tradition, but most naked-eye stars are identified by their Bayer
Bayer designation
A Bayer designation is a stellar designation in which a specific star is identified by a Greek letter, followed by the genitive form of its parent constellation's Latin name...
or Flamsteed designation
Flamsteed designation
Flamsteed designations for stars are similar to Bayer designations, except that they use numbers instead of Greek letters. Each star is assigned a number and the Latin genitive of the constellation it lies in...
s.
In modern astronomy, there has been a tradition of giving proper names to newly-discovered heavenly bodies,
initiated with the discovery of the planets beyond Saturn, and later extended to minor planets and moons.
Proper names of fixed stars
In modern astronomy, the designation of starsStar designation
Designations of stars are done by the International Astronomical Union . Many of the star names in use today were inherited from the time before the IAU existed. Other names, mainly for variable stars , are being added all the time.Approximately 10,000 stars are visible to the naked eye...
is done by the International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
(IAU).
For the brightest stars, nomenclature is based on the Bayer designation
Bayer designation
A Bayer designation is a stellar designation in which a specific star is identified by a Greek letter, followed by the genitive form of its parent constellation's Latin name...
, first published for a total of 1,564 naked-eye stars in 1603. Only a minority of these have proper names. Many of the proper names that remain in use in modern astronomy are based on Arabic star names from medieval Islamic astronomy, which in turn was substantiall based on Claudius Ptolemy’s Almagest
Almagest
The Almagest is a 2nd-century mathematical and astronomical treatise on the apparent motions of the stars and planetary paths. Written in Greek by Claudius Ptolemy, a Roman era scholar of Egypt,...
, which contained the original Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Latin names for stars.
For example, the Arabs translated Opisthen (Οπισθεν "after" or "following") or Opiso (Οπισω "to follow after"), one of the original Greek names for the brightest star in Taurus, as Aldebaran
Aldebaran
Aldebaran is a red giant star located about 65 light years away in the zodiac constellation of Taurus. With an average apparent magnitude of 0.87 it is the brightest star in the constellation and is one of the brightest stars in the nighttime sky...
(الدبران), which means "the Follower" in Arabic, because the star always follows behind the Pleiades
Pleiades (star cluster)
In astronomy, the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters , is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky...
as both move across the sky.
Most proper names for stars, especially the Arabic names, are descriptive of the locations of the stars within their parent constellations. For example, the star named Rigel
Rigel
Rigel is the brightest star in the constellation Orion and the sixth brightest star in the sky, with visual magnitude 0.18...
(Arabic for "foot") marks the left foot of Orion the Hunter. Deneb
Deneb
Deneb is the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus and one of the vertices of the Summer Triangle. It is the 19th brightest star in the night sky, with an apparent magnitude of 1.25. A blue-white supergiant, Deneb is also one of the most luminous nearby stars...
(Arabic for "tail") marks the tail of Cygnus the Swan.
While most Arabic star names are translations from Ptolemy's Almagest
Almagest
The Almagest is a 2nd-century mathematical and astronomical treatise on the apparent motions of the stars and planetary paths. Written in Greek by Claudius Ptolemy, a Roman era scholar of Egypt,...
, a small number of stars have retained names from native Arabian tradition; for example, there is a star in Lepus the Hare named Nihal, meaning "The Camels Quenching Their Thirst" in Arabic, because Lepus ("the hare") was seen as a caravan
Caravan (travellers)
A caravan is a group of people traveling together, often on a trade expedition. Caravans were used mainly in desert areas and throughout the Silk Road, where traveling in groups aided in defence against bandits as well as helped to improve economies of scale in trade.In historical times, caravans...
of camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
s in ancient Arabia.
A small number of Greek and Latin names have been preserved from antiquity, and have not been replaced by names derived from their Arabic equivalents. Examples include Sirius
Sirius
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, it is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. The name "Sirius" is derived from the Ancient Greek: Seirios . The star has the Bayer designation Alpha Canis Majoris...
(Greek for "searing" or "scorching"), Arcturus (Greek for "Guardian of the Bear"), Capella
Capella (star)
Capella is the brightest star in the constellation Auriga, the sixth brightest star in the night sky and the third brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus and Vega. Although it appears to be a single star to the naked eye, it is actually a star system of four stars in...
(Latin for "Little She-goat"), and Spica
Spica
Spica is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, and the 15th brightest star in the nighttime sky. It is 260 light years distant from Earth...
(Latin for "Ear of Grain").
A small number of star names are also found in Chinese and Indian traditional astronomy, but as in Ptolemaic tradition, these traditions focussed on asterisms or groups of stars, and only a handful of stars were given individual names. Examples include Chinese Koo She
Delta Velorum
Delta Velorum is a star system in the constellation Vela. It is approximately 79.7 light years from Earth. It is sometimes given the name Koo She, Chinese for 'Bow and Arrows', along with ω Velorum and stars in Canis Major....
"bow and arrow") and Sanskrit Chitra
Spica
Spica is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, and the 15th brightest star in the nighttime sky. It is 260 light years distant from Earth...
"the bright one".
There are also contemporary proper names given to some stars, many of which refer to accomplished astronomers, deceased astronauts and English titles. For example, Gamma Velorum
Gamma Velorum
Gamma Velorum is a star system in the constellation Vela. At magnitude +1.7, it is one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It has the traditional names Suhail and Suhail al Muhlif, which confusingly also apply to Lambda Velorum...
is named Regor, which is "Roger" spelled backwards; the name honors Astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
Roger B. Chaffee
Roger B. Chaffee
Roger Bruce Chaffee was an American aeronautical engineer and a NASA astronaut in the Apollo program. Chaffee died along with fellow astronauts Gus Grissom and Ed White during a pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission at Cape Kennedy...
, who died in the Apollo I tragedy. Other contemporary names include The Persian (Alpha Indi
Alpha Indi
Alpha Indi is a Class K0, third-magnitude star in the constellation Indus. Alpha Indi is an orange giant star within a multiple star system. It is located about 100 light-years from Earth....
) and The Head of Hydrus (Alpha Hydri
Alpha Hydri
Alpha Hydri is a star in the constellation Hydrus. It is sometimes informally known as the Head of Hydrus. It should not be confused with Alpha Hydrae in the constellation Hydra. Alpha Hydri is one of only three stars in the constellation Hydrus that is above the fourth visual magnitude...
), Herschel's Garnet Star (Mu Cephei
Mu Cephei
Mu Cephei , also known as Herschel's Garnet Star, is a red supergiant star in the constellation Cepheus. It is one of the largest and most luminous stars known in the Milky Way...
), Barnard's Star
Barnard's star
Barnard's Star, also known occasionally as Barnard's "Runaway" Star, is a very low-mass red dwarf star approximately six light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Ophiuchus . In 1916, the American astronomer E.E...
, etc.
Some independent astronomical and astrological businesses or organizations claim to sell the opportunity to "name a star". These names are not recognized by the International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
(IAU). The IAU is the most influential organization that names stars and other celestial objects; it is the only one recognized by mainstream astronomers, on star maps, and in science textbooks.
See also
- Inuit astronomyInuit astronomyThe Inuit have traditional names for many constellations, asterisms and stars:*Two Placed Far Apart **The Runners , used for navigation***The Polar Bear ***The Dogs **Nephews and Nieces...
- List of Arabic Star Names
- List of traditional star names
- Star designations
- Traditional Chinese star namesTraditional Chinese star namesTraditional Chinese star names are the names of stars used in ancient Chinese literature, history, religion, mythology, folklore, Chinese opera and such methods of divination as astrology, horoscope and Feng shui...
External links
- Coleman, L. S., "Star Names" @Frosty Drew Observatory.
- Dolan, C., "List of Named Stars in Alphabetical Order": Chris Dolan's Home Page @UW-Madison Astronomy Department.
- Gibson, S. J.,"Star Names": Gibson's website @Arecibo ObservatoryArecibo ObservatoryThe Arecibo Observatory is a radio telescope near the city of Arecibo in Puerto Rico. It is operated by SRI International under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation...
.