These names of stars that have either been approved by the International Astronomical Union or which have been in somewhat recent use. IAU approval comes mostly from its Working Group on Star Names, which has been publishing a "List of IAU-approved Star Names" since 2016. As of April 2022, the list included a total of 451 proper names of stars.[1]
Of the roughly 10,000 stars visible to the naked eye, only a few hundred have been given proper names in the history of astronomy.[lower-alpha 1] Traditional astronomy tends to group stars into constellations or asterisms and give proper names to those, not to individual stars.
Many star names are, in origin, descriptive of the part in the constellation they are found in; thus Phecda, a corruption of Arabic فخذ الدب (fakhdh ad-dubb, 'thigh of the bear'). Only a handful of the brightest stars have individual proper names not depending on their asterism; so Sirius ('the scorcher'), Antares ('rival of Ares', i.e., red-hued like Mars), Canopus (of uncertain origin), Alphard ('the solitary one'), Regulus ('kinglet'); and arguably Aldebaran ('the follower' [of the Pleiades]) and Procyon ('preceding the dog' [Sirius]). The same holds for Chinese star names, where most stars are enumerated within their asterisms, with a handful of exceptions such as 織女 ('weaving girl') (Vega).
In addition to the limited number of traditional star names, there were some coined in modern times, e.g. "Avior" for Epsilon Carinae (1930), and a number of stars named after people (mostly in the 20th century).
In 2016, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)[2] to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN's first bulletin, dated July 2016,[3] included a table of 125 stars comprising the first two batches of names approved by the WGSN (on 30 June and 20 July 2016) together with names of stars adopted by the IAU Executive Committee Working Group on the Public Naming of Planets and Planetary Satellites during the 2015 NameExoWorlds campaign[4] and recognized by the WGSN. Further batches of names were approved on 21 August, 12 September, 5 October, and 6 November 2016. These were listed in a table of 102 stars included in the WGSN's second bulletin, dated November 2016.[5] The next additions were done on 1 February 2017 (13 new star names), 30 June 2017 (29), 5 September 2017 (41), 17 November 2017 (3), 1 June 2018 (17), and on 10 August 2018 (6). All 336 names are included in the current List of IAU-approved Star Names.[1]
In 2019, the IAU organised its IAU 100 NameExoWorlds campaign to name exoplanets and their host stars. The approved names of 112 exoplanets and their host stars were published on 17 December 2019, with an additional pair of names (for the star HAT-P-21 and its planet) approved on 1 March 2020.[6][7] An additional two star names were approved on 4 April 2022.[1] In June 2023 an additional 20 names where approved in the NameExoWorlds 2022 campaign bringing the current total to 471 named stars.[8]
List
In the table below, unless indicated by a "†", the "modern proper name" is the name approved by the WGSN and entered in the List of IAU-approved Star Names[1] or otherwise approved by the IAU. The WGSN decided to attribute proper names to individual stars rather than entire multiple-star systems.[9] Names marked with a "†" have not been approved by the IAU.
For such names relating to members of multiple-star systems, and where a component letter (from, e.g., the Washington Double Star Catalog) is not explicitly listed, the WGSN says that the name should be understood to be attributed to the visually brightest component.[5] In the "Historical names/comments" column, "IAU new 2015" and "IAU new 2019" denote that the name was approved by the IAU as a consequence of its 2015 and 2019 NameExoWorlds campaigns, respectively.
"Acrux" is a modern contraction of the Bayer designation, coined in the 19th century, but which entered into common use only by the mid-20th century.[16][17]
The name is originally from Arabic: عذارىʿaḏārá ('virgins'). In the Calendarium of Al Achsasi Al Mouakket, it is designated أول العذاريʾawwil al-ʿaḏāriyy, translated into Latin as Prima Virginum ('first virgin').
The name is originally from Arabic: البلدةal-balda ('town'). In the Calendarium of Al Achsasi Al Mouakket, it is designated نير البلدةnayyir al-baldah, translated into Latin as Lucida Oppidi ('brightest of the town').
From Arabic: الخباءal-ẖibāʾ ('tent'). In the Calendarium of Al Achsasi Al Mouakket, it is designated المنخر الغرابal-manẖar al-ġurāb, translated into Latin as Rostrum Corvi ('beak of the crow').
Variously reported as from Arabic: السلحفاةas-sulaḥfāh ('turtle'), الطلف الفرسaṭ-ṭilf al-faras ('horse track'), or عزل الدجاجةʿazal ad-dajāja ('tail of the hen').[18]:192–197
IAU new 2019 Ukrainian proposal. A deity of waters and riverbanks in Slavic religion; now a national goddess – "hearth mother, protectress of the earth".
The name is originally Arabic: كفkaff ('palm'), a residue of an old name of Cassiopeia, الكف الخصيبal-kaff al-ẖaḍīb ('the stained hand'); also known as السنام الناقةas-sanām al-nāqa ('the camel's hump').
Alternative traditional name of Etamin; both originally from the Arabic constellation name التنينat-tinnīn ('the great serpent'). γ Dra was also one of the "Five Camels" (Latin: Quinque Dromedarii), in Arabic العوائدal‑ʿawāʾid.
IAU new 2015 The name is originally from Arabic: فم الحوتfum al-ḥawt ('mouth of the fish'). In Persian astrology, this star was called "Haftorang, Watcher of the South", one of the royal stars.
both a contraction of Gemini gamma-ray source, and a transcription of the words ghè minga (pronounced[ɡɛˈmĩːɡa]), meaning "it's not there" in the Milanese dialect of Lombard.[31]
Traditional name (also written Hemal, Hamul, or Ras Hammel) derived from Arabic: رأس الحملraʾs al-ḥamal ('head of the ram'), in turn from the name for the constellation as a whole, al-ḥamal ('the ram').[18]:78, 80
Originally from Arabic: إزارʾizār ('veil') In the Calendarium of Al Achsasi Al Mouakket, it is designated منطقة ألعوعminṭaqat al‑ʿawwaʿ, translated into Latin as Cingulum Latratoris ('belt of barker'). Named Pulcherrima ('most beautiful') by Otto Struve.[35]
Member of the Big Dipper or the Plough (UK). The name is originally from Arabic: المئزرal-miʾzar ('apron, waistband, girdle'). Also called 禄Lù ('Status'), one of the "Three Stars" in Chinese mythology. The Lù star is believed to be Zhang Xian, who lived during the Later Shu dynasty. The word lù specifically refers to the salary of a government official. As such, the Lù star is the star of prosperity, rank, and influence.
IAU new 2015 Latin for 'music' (the ancient Greek musician Arion's life was saved at sea by dolphins (delphinus) after attracting their attention by playing his kithara).[26]
Became known as stella polaris ('polar star') during the Renaissance.[10]:23 See polar star for other names based on its position close to the celestial pole.
Traditional name first recorded in the Alfonsine Tables of 1252 and derived from the Arabic name الرجل الجوزاء اليسرىar-rijl al-jawzāʾ al-yasrá ('the left leg (foot) of Jauzah'[definition needed]) (rijl meaning 'leg, foot').[18]:312–313
The name appeared in Piazzi's Palermo Star Catalogue in 1814, added by Niccolò Cacciatore as a prank along with Sualocin (α Delphini); "Rotanev" is Venator, the Latin form of Italian: Cacciatore ('hunter'), spelt backwards.
Derived from Arabic: ركبةrukba ('knee').[38] The alternative historical name Ksora appeared in a 1951 publication, Atlas Coeli (Skalnate Pleso Atlas of the Heavens) by Czech astronomer Antonín Bečvář; professor Paul Kunitzch has been unable to find any clues as to the origin of the name.[10]:62
Also traditionally bore the name Schedir; both originally from Arabic: صدرṣadr ('breast'); also called الضاة الكرسيaḍ-ḍāh al-kursiyy ('the lady in the chair' by Ulugh Beg, whence[clarification needed]Dath Elkarti by Giovanni Battista Riccioli in 1651.
Ancient Greek: Σείριος 'the scorcher'; in Egyptian Sopdet, rendered in Greek as ΣῶθιςSōthis. As the brightest star in the sky, Sirius has proper names in numerous cultures, including Polynesian (Māori: Takurua; Hawaiian: Ka'ulua ('Queen of Heaven'), among others). Also known as the "Dog Star".
Other traditional names are Azimech, from Arabic: السماك الأعزلas-simāk al-ʾaʿzal ('the undefended') and Alarph, Arabic for 'the grape gatherer'. Known in Indian astronomy as Chitra ('the bright one').
The name appeared in Piazzi's Palermo Star Catalogue in 1814, added by Niccolò Cacciatore as a prank along with Rotanev (β Delphini); "Sualocin" is Nicolaus, the Latin form of Italian: Niccolò ('Nicholas'), spelt backwards.
In Chinese, 天關Tiānguān ('celestial gate'). Also reported as Akkadian: Shurnarkabti-sha-shūtū ('the star in the bull towards the south' or 'the southern star towards the chariot').[18]:391
The name is originally from Arabic: النسر الواقعan-nasr al-wāqiʿ ('the alighting vulture') also translated as vulture cadens ('falling vulture') (see also Aetos Dios, Stymphalian birds). As the second brightest star in the northern sky, Vega has names in numerous cultures. In Chinese, it is known as 織女 ('weaving girl') from the Qi Xi love story. Vega is one of the vertices of the Summer Triangle asterism.
IAU new 2019 Nanjing proposal; Xihe is the goddess of the Sun in Chinese mythology. The star also represents the earliest Chinese astronomers and makers of calendars.[citation needed]
↑ NASA compiled a "technical memorandum" collecting a total of 537 named stars in 1971.
↑ Few of these names have established pronunciations in English, and care needs to be taken when interpreting often contradictory sources. For example, as Kunitzsch and Smart explain in their introduction, they sometimes blend Arabic and English pronunciations in novel ways that Latinized Arabic star names were not traditionally pronounced, such as transcribing a as if it were u, or making ante-penultimate vowels long because they were long in Arabic when a literary English pronunciation would make them short. (In some cases, the result is not a possible combination of sounds in English.) Webster's dictionary, Rumrill and Davis may attempt to render the original Arabic pronunciation using English sounds as approximations, and not distinguish that pseudo-Arabic pronunciation from an English pronunciation that people actually use. (Kunitzsch and the OED do try to distinguish these two cases.) Where sources disagree on Latinized Arabic names, the form closest to the traditional English pronunciation of Latin is followed, with the assumption that the usually unmarked Latin vowel length is as faithful to Arabic as it is to Greek.
↑ Allen (1899) sees the name as originating from a misunderstanding of the words ab ireo in the description of Cygnus from Almagest.[18]:196
Related Research Articles
In astronomy, stars have a variety of different stellar designations and names, including catalogue designations, current and historical proper names, and foreign language names.
Gamma Cephei is a binary star system approximately 45 light-years away in the northern constellation of Cepheus. The primary is a stellar class K1 orange giant or subgiant star; it has a red dwarf companion. An exoplanet has been confirmed to be orbiting the primary.
Mirach, Bayer designation Beta Andromedae, Latinized from β Andromedae, is a prominent star in the northern constellation of Andromeda. It is northeast of the Great Square of Pegasus and is potentially visible to all observers north of latitude 54° S. It is commonly used by stargazers to find the Andromeda Galaxy. The galaxy NGC 404, also known as Mirach's Ghost, is seven arcminutes away from Mirach.
Mu Draconis is a multiple star system near the head of the constellation of Draco. With a combined magnitude of 4.92, it is visible to the naked eye. Based on parallax estimates by the Hipparcos spacecraft, it is located approximately 89 light-years from the Sun.
Alpha Pegasi, formally named Markab, is the third-brightest star in the constellation of Pegasus and one of the four stars in the asterism known as the Great Square of Pegasus.
Gamma Andromedae, Latinized from γ Andromedae, is the third-brightest point of light in the northern constellation of Andromeda. It is a multiple star system approximately 390 light-years from Earth. The system is drifting closer to the Sun with a radial velocity in the range of −12 to −14 km/s.
Alpha Gruis is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Grus. It is officially named Alnair; Alpha Gruis is the star's Bayer designation, which is Latinized from α Gruis and abbreviated α Gru. With an magnitude of 1.74, it is one of the brightest stars in the sky and one of the fifty-eight stars selected for celestial navigation. Alpha Gruis is a single, B-type main-sequence star located at a distance of 31 pc.
Eta Ophiuchi is a binary star in the constellation of Ophiuchus. Based on parallax measurements taken during the Hipparcos mission, it is approximately 88 light-years from the Sun.
Beta Ceti, officially named Diphda, is the brightest star in the constellation of Cetus. Although designated 'beta', it is actually brighter than the 'alpha' star in the constellation, Menkar, by half a magnitude. This orange giant is easy to identify due to its location in an otherwise dark section of the celestial sphere. Based on parallax measurements, it lies at an estimated distance of 96.3 light-years from the Sun.
Alpha Columbae or α Columbae, officially named Phact, is a third magnitude star in the southern constellation of Columba. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 2.6, making it the brightest member of Columba. Based upon parallax measurements made during the Hipparcos mission, Alpha Columbae is located at a distance of around 261 light-years.
Epsilon Aquarii, Latinized from ε Aquarii, is a binary star in the equatorial zodiac constellation of Aquarius, located near the western constellation border with Capricornus. It has the proper name Albali, now formally recognized by the IAU. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.77, and has an absolute magnitude of −0.46. Based upon parallax measurements taken by the Gaia spacecraft, it is located at a distance of approximately 244 light-years (75 pc) from Earth. The star is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −20 km/s.
Theta Serpentis is a triple star system in the constellation of Serpens.
Lambda Ursae Majoris, formally named Tania Borealis, is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Major.
Beta Delphini is a binary star in the constellation of Delphinus. It is the brightest star in Delphinus.
Xi Andromedae, officially named Adhil, is a solitary star in the northern constellation of Andromeda. It has an apparent magnitude of +4.9. Based on parallax measurements obtained during the Gaia mission, it lies at a distance of roughly 223 light-years from the Sun.
Alpha Equulei, officially named Kitalpha, is a star in the constellation of Equuleus. It is a high proper-motion star only 190 light-years away.
λ Ophiuchi, Latinized as Lambda Ophiuchi, is a triple star system in the equatorial constellation of Ophiuchus. It has the traditional name Marfik, which now applies exclusively to the primary component. The system is visible to the naked eye as a faint point of light with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.82. It is located approximately 173 light-years from the Sun, based on its parallax, but is drifting closer with a radial velocity of –16 km/s.
HD 104985, formally named Tonatiuh, is a solitary star with a exoplanetary companion in the northern constellation of Camelopardalis. The companion is designated HD 104985 b and named Meztli. This star has an apparent visual magnitude of 5.78 and thus is dimly visible to the naked eye under favorable seeing conditions. It is located at a distance of approximately 329 light years from the Sun based on parallax, but is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −20 km/s.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) established a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) in May 2016 to catalog and standardize proper names for stars for the international astronomical community. It operates under Division C – Education, Outreach and Heritage.
1 2 3 Kunitzsch, Paul; Smart, Tim (2006) [1986]. A Dictionary of Modern Star Names: A Short Guide to 254 Star Names and Their Derivations (2nd rev.ed.). Cambridge, MA: Sky Publishing. ISBN978-1-931559-44-7.
↑ Davis, George A. Jr. (1944). "The Pronunciations, Derivations, and Meanings of a Selected List of Star Names". Popular Astronomy. Vol.52. pp.8–30. Bibcode:1944PA.....52....8D.
↑ Hoffleit, D.; Warren, W. H. Jr. (November 1995). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed. (Hoffleit+, 1991)". VizieR On-line Data Catalog: V/50. Originally Published in: 1964BS....C......0H. 5050. Bibcode:1995yCat.5050....0H.
↑ Mackworth, P. H.; Commander van Balkom; Everitt, P. F.; Sadler, D. H.; Squadron-Leader May; Bennett, D. C. T.; Hinks, A. R.; Black, Archibald; Squadron-Leader Barnes; Comrie, L. J. (August 1938). "The Air Almanac: Discussion on the New Form of Nautical Allowance for Rapid Position Finding". The Geographical Journal. 92 (2). Royal Geographical Society: 137, 145. Bibcode:1938GeogJ..92..133M. doi:10.2307/1788749. JSTOR1788749. Acrus, which seems to be copied from the American Almanacs and is a sort of abbreviation for αCrucis, is philologically horrible. [...] Acrux, an Americanism for αCrucis [...]
↑ Stenner, Paul (26 February 2015). "A Transdisciplinary Psychosocial Approach". In Martin, Jack; Slaney, Kathleen L.; Sugarman, Jeff (eds.). The Wiley Handbook of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology: Methods, Approaches, and New Directions for Social Sciences. John Wiley & Sons. p.311.
↑ Burnham, Robert Jr. (1978). Burnham's Celestial Handbook: An Observer's Guide to the Universe Beyond the Solar System. Vol.1. Dover Publications. p.359.
↑ Lesikar, Arnold V. "Gacrux". Dome Of The Sky. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
↑ Bignami, G. F.; etal. (September 1983). "An identification for 'Geminga' (2CG 195+04) 1E 0630+178 - A unique object in the error box of the high-energy gamma-ray source". Astrophysical Journal. 272: L9–L13. Bibcode:1983ApJ...272L...9B. doi:10.1086/184107.
↑ Kaler, James B. "Saiph (Kappa Orionis)". Stars. University of Illinois. Archived from the original on 2012-02-02. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
↑ Simpson, Phil (2012). "3". Guidebook to the Constellations: Telescopic Sights, Tales, and Myths. Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series. New York: Springer. ISBN9781441969408.
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