![]() Ursa Major, the constellation of the Great Bear, from Urania’s Mirror, a colourful set of constellation cards published by Samuel Leigh in England in 1824. Our site is great except that we don‘t support your browser. Over the years, the star at the end of the tail has been known by two popular names, Alkaid and Benetnasch. Download All 8,259 word graphic templates unlimited times with a single Envato Elements subscription. On this card it is called Benetnasch, but the IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) has chosen the more common alternative of Alkaid as its official name. Among the star names on this 1824 map of Ursa Major that are recognised by the IAU as official proper names are Alcor, Alioth, Dubhe, Megrez, Merak, and Mizar. Other names on this map have been included in a growing database of cultural and historical names for stars, and some of these may eventually be adopted as official IAU names after further research and deliberation by the WGSN. ![]() ![]() Illustration credit: IAU.The creation of a specialised IAU Working Group, the Working Group on Star Names (WGSN), was approved by the IAU Executive Committee in May 2016 to formalise star names that have been used colloquially for centuries. WGSN has now established a new catalogue of IAU star names, with the first set of 227 approved names published on the IAU website.Ĭomposed of an international group of astronomers, the Working Group on Star Names ( WGSN) is an initiative that stemmed from the IAU Division C (Education, Outreach, and Heritage). ![]()
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