Welcome to Part 1 of Rare Astronomical Names. Part 2 will be linked soon!
Edit: Part 2 is out!
Astronomy holds a special corner in my heart, and this post is an ode to that. We all know the usual names - Estelle, Orion, Luna, Atlas or Lyra, but I want something more uncommon. I’m looking for something along the lines of Arcturus and Helike. The names in this post are only limited to names of stars and moons. I have deliberately left out names like Andromeda or Cassiopeia, since they are well known on the forums.
Without further ado, here are my showstopping names I am thinking about:
- Adhara - F - “maidens”
Arabic in origin, Adhara is the one of brightest stars in the constellation of Canis Major, second only to Sirius. Also known as Epsilon Canis Majoris, it is a binary star system with a Bayer designation. About 4.7 million years ago, it was the brightest star in the night sky with a magnitude of -3.99, although it currently is the 22nd brightest star in the night sky (with a magnitude of 1.50). No other star has attained this brightness since nor will any other star attain this brightness for at least five million years
- Albiorix - M - “king of the world”
Albiorix is a Celtic theonym that appears as an epithet of the Roman Mars. It was discovered by Matthew J. Holman and colleagues in 2000, and is a prograde irregular sattelite of Saturn. Albiorix is the largest member of the Gallic group of irregular satellites. It was named for a ‘Gallic giant who was considered to be the king of the world’. The name also belongs to a genus of arachnids from the Ideoroncidae family.
- Alcyone - F - “kingfisher”
In mythology, Alcyone was the daughter of Atlas or Pleione. Alcyone is star in the constellation of Taurus, also called Eta Tauri (Bayer designation). It is also the brightest star in the Pleiades open cluster. Other stars in the cluster are named after her sisters.
- Alsephina - F - “the ship”
Derived from Arabic al-safīnah meaning “the ship”. Alsephina, also known as Delta Velorum, is a triple star system that is a part of the constellation Vela. It refers to the ancient Greek constellation Argo Navis, the ship of the Argonauts. It was first used in a 10th-century Arabic translation of the Almagest, written by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the second century AD. Alsephina shares a border with Carina and is part of the False Cross.
- Altair - M - “flying eagle”
Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila and the twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation of Alpha Aquilae. It is an abbreviation of the Arabic phrase Al-Nisr Al-Ta’ir, “the flying eagle”. Altair has a visual magnitude of 0.77 and is one of the vertices (others being Deneb & Vega) of the Summer Triangle asterism. NASA announced Altair as the name of the Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM).
- Aludra - F - “the maiden”
Aludra, as a name, is Arabic in origin. It is a star in the Canis Major constellation. Since 1943, the spectrum of this star has served as one of the stable anchor points by which other stars are classified. Eta CMa is classified as an Alpha-Cygni variable star and its brightness varies from magnitude +2.38 to +2.48 over a period of 4.7 days.
- Alula - F - “first leap”
Also known as Xi Ursae Majoris, Alula Australis is derived from the Arabic for “first spring” or leap “south” of the “Gazelle” (whose stars have since been gathered up in Constellation Leo Minor), in combination with Alula Borealis or Nu Ursae Majoris. It is a relatively compact, multiple system of four to five components, of which one recently has been determined to be a brown dwarf.
- Amalthea - F - “tender goddess”
Amalthea, or Jupiter V, is a moon of Jupiter. Edward Emerson Bernard discovered and subsequently named the moon after Amalthea in Greek mythology. It was the last natural satellite to be discovered by direct visual observation; all later moons were discovered by photographic imaging. In Greek mythology Amalthea was the she-goat nurse of the god Zeus who nourished him with milk in a cave on Mount Dicte in Crete. Amalthea is the fifth largest moon of Jupiter. Amalthea is in a close orbit around Jupiter and is within the outer edge of the Amalthea Gossamer Ring which is formed from dust ejected from its surface.
- Aquarius - M - “water bearer”
Aquarius is one of the oldest constellations documented in the historical record, first recorded in the second century by Ptolemy. Aquarius is the 10th largest constellation in the sky but there are no particularly bright stars in the constellation and it can be difficult to view with the naked eye. It is found in a region called the ‘sea of the sky’ due to its profusion of water-related constellations such as Cetus (the whale), Pisces (the fish), Delphinus (the dolphin) and Eridanus (the river).
- Aquila - M - “eagle”
Aquila takes it name from the Latin word for “eagle”. According to classic Greek mythology, Aquila was the eagle that carried the thunderbolts of Zeus. Its brightest star, Altair, is one vertex of the Summer Triangle asterism.
- Arcturus - M - “bear guardian”
Arcturus is the brightest star in the constellation of Boötes (the herdsman), and is the third brightest star in the night sky. The name Arcturus comes from the Greek meaning “guardian of the bear”, which refers to its position adjacent to the tail of the constellation Ursa Major.
- Aries - M - “the ram”
Aries is a zodiac constellation, the 39th largest constellation in the night sky. It is usually associated with the story of the Golden Fleece in Greek mythology. Like other zodiac constellations, Aries was first catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in his Almagest in the 2nd century. Aries contains the bright stars Hamal and Sheratan.
- Asterope - F - “lightening”
Asterope, like Alcyone, was one of the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Asterope is a double star system in the constellation of Taurus. It also lends its name to an asteroid, the 233 Asterope. Asterope and asterope optima are genuses of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae.
- Auriga - F - “the charioteer”
Auriga was a goatherd and a patron of shepherds. The constellation is especially prominent in the winter and spring months, a time when shepherds traditionally spent nights out in the fields with their flocks. It’s brightest star, Capella, is one part of the Winter Hexagon asterism.
- Avior - M - “my father is light”
Avior, or Epsilon Carinae, is a binary star in the constellation Carina. At apparent magnitude +1.86, it is one of the brightest stars in the night sky but is not visible in most of the northern hemisphere. It forms, along with other stars, the False Cross.
- Bellatrix - F - “female warrior”
Located at the constellation of Orion’s shoulder, Bellatrix is Orion’s third brightest star, and 25th brightest star in the night sky. It is also known as the Amazon Star, after the greek legend of a mythical female warrior tribe. It’s almost 4 times hotter than our sun, more than 5.5 times its size, more than 8.5 times as massive, and more than 6,000 times brighter.
- Callirrhoe - F - “beautiful flowing”
Callirrhoe, or Jupiter XVII, is an irregular retrograde satellite that orbits around Jupiter. It was named after Callirrhoe in Greek mythology, specifically the daughter of river god Achelous. It belongs to the Pasiphae group of Jovian satellites. It shares its name with the purple poppy mallow (callirrhoe involucrata).
- Callisto - F - “most beautiful”
Callisto, or Jupiter IV, is the second-largest moon of Jupiter, after Ganymede. It is also the third largest moon in the solar system, after Ganymede and Titan, and was discovered by Galileo Galilei. The likely presence of an ocean within Callisto leaves open the possibility that it could harbor life. In mythology, Callisto was a follower of Artemis and was pursued by Zeus. A jealous Hera transformed her into a bear.
- Capella - F - “little she goat”
Capella is the eleventh brightest star in the night sky, and the brightest star in the constellation Auriga. In Roman mythology, Capella represented the goat that suckled Jupiter, whose horn became the Cornucopia or horn of plenty. In Hindu mythology, Capella is called the heart of Brahma, while English legend calls it the shepherd’s star. Australian Aboriginal myth calls it the kangaroo, while in Persian mythology it’s a metaphor for both great distance and the color light red.
- Carina - F - “beloved”
Carina is a constellation in the southern sky. It represents the keel of the ship Argo. It is home to Canopus, the second brightest star in the sky. It ranks 34th in size among the 88 constellations in the night sky.
- Cygnus - M - “swan”
The Cygnus constellation lies on the northern skies upon the Milky Way. Its name translates into “swan” in Latin Greek. It is the 16th largest constellation, and belongs to the Hercules group of constellations. Deneb, at the tail of the swan, forms the Northern Cross.
- Cyllene - F - “sweetheart”
Cyllene, also known as Jupiter XLVIII, is a natural satellite of Jupiter. Cyllene is considered a member of the Pasiphae group, a family of Jovian satellites. Cyllene was named for a nymph in Greek mythology who was a daughter of Zeus, the Greek equivalent of the Roman god Jupiter. She is associated with a mountain in Arcadia on which, legend has it, the blackbirds become white and are impossible to shoot during the daytime.
- Daphnis - M - “shepherd”
Daphnis, or Saturn XXXV, is an inner satellite of Saturn. Daphnis is named for a shepherd, and pipes player who is a pastoral poet in Greek mythology. Daphnis was the son of Hermes, the brother of Pan and a descendent of the Titans.
- Eridanus - M - “celestial river”
Eridanus constellation lies in the southern hemisphere. Achernar, the constellation’s brightest star, is the ninth brightest star in the sky. Eridanus is home to many interesting deep sky objects, among them the CMB Cold Spot, possibly the largest void known, the Eridanus Group of galaxies, and the Witch Head Nebula.
- Erinome - F - (unknown)
Erinome, also known as Jupiter XXV, is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It belongs to the Carme group. Erinome was named for a chaste young woman in Roman mythology whom Venus causes to fall in love with Jupiter.
- Ersa - F - “morning dew”
This tiny moon of Jupiter was first spotted in 2017 and originally designated S/2018 J1. In mythology, Ersa is the sister of Pandia and, as such, also the daughter of Zeus and the Moon goddess Selene. Ersa is the goddess of dew.
- Eurydome - F - “structure outside the areas”
Eurydome is a natural satellite of Jupiter, also known as Jupiter XXXII, and was discovered concurrently with Hermippe. Eurydome was named for a character in Greek mythology who, according to some sources, was the mother of the Graces by Zeus, the Greek equivalent of the Roman god Jupiter.
- Fenrir - M - “fen-dweller”
Fenrir, or Saturn XLI, is one of the faintest known moons in the solar system. Fenrir is a member of the Norse group of moons. Fenrir was named for a monstrous wolf in Norse mythology who was the offspring of Loki and Angrboda. According to the mythology, Fenrir is destined to break free at doomsday (the time known as Ragnarok) and kill Odin, the supreme Norse god.
- Ganymede - M - “glad thought”
Jupiter’s icy moon Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system, even bigger than the planet Mercury, and the dwarf planet Pluto. In Greek mythology, Ganymede was Trojan youth who was so beautiful that he was carried off to be Zeus’ cup-bearer, and made immortal. And in Shakespeare’s comic play As You Like It , Ganymede is the name the heroine Rosalind chooses for herself when she disguises herself as a shepherd boy.
- Halimede - F - “sea-goddess of good counsel”
Halimede, or Neptune IX, is a retrograde irregular satellite of Neptune. Halimede, Laomedeia and Sao were discovered through the use of Earth-based telescopes—his was the first time a Neptunian moon discovery had occurred by telescope since the discovery of Nereid in 1949 by Gerard Kuiper. Halimede is named after one of the Nereids.
- Hegemone - F - “female leader; queen”
Hegemone, also called Jupiter XXXIX, is a natural satellite of Jupiter. Hegemone is a part of the Pasiphae group of satellites, and was named after a daughter of Zeus. This was an epithet of Artemis as well as the name of the Greek goddess of plants (specifically flowers and fruit).
That’s it, folks! I’ll see you over on the second part of this series. I may make a third post highlighting the names of people in the field of astronomy. Till then, are there any names you think I missed? What were your favourites from this list? I’d appreciate if you share your thoughts on this list. Thank you!
And I’ve discovered some new names as well