Of the total number of stars that can be observed with the naked eye, about 275 have proper names. The names of the stars were invented in different eras, in different countries. Not all of them have survived to our time in their original form, and it is not always clear why this or that luminary is called that way.
In the ancient drawings themselves, which depict the night sky, it is clear that initially only the constellations had a name. Particularly bright stars were just somehow marked.
Later, the famous Ptolemy catalog appeared, in which 48 constellations were designated. Here the celestial bodies were numbered or descriptive names of stars were given. For example, in the description of the Big Dipper bucket, they looked like this: “a star on the back of the quadrangle, ” “the one on its side, ” “the first in the tail, ” and so on.
Only in the 16th century did the Italian astronomer Piccolomini begin to designate them in Latin and Greek letters. The designation went alphabetically in decreasing order of magnitude (brilliance). The same technique was used by the German astronomer Bayer. And the English astronomer Flemstead added serial numbers to the letter designation ("61 Swans").
Let's talk about how the beautiful names of stars appeared, their most prominent representatives. Of course, we start with the main guiding beacon - the North Star, which is exactly what it is most often called today. Although she has about a hundred items, and almost all of them are related to her location. This is due to the fact that it points to the North Pole and at the same time is practically motionless. It seems that the star is simply attached to the firmament, and all the other luminaries make their eternal movement around it.
It was because of its stillness that the North Star became the main navigational landmark of the sky. In Russia, the names of the stars gave them a characteristic: this star was called "Heavenly stake", "Funny star", "North Star". In Mongolia, it was called the "Golden Stake", in Estonia - the "Northern Nail", in Yugoslavia - the "Nekretnitsa" (the one that does not spin). The Khakases call it “Hoshar”, which means “a tethered horse”. And the Evenks called her "a hole in the sky."
Sirius is the brightest celestial body for an observer from the Earth. The Egyptians have all the names of stars poetic, and here Sirius was called “The Radiant Star of the Nile”, “Tear of Isis”, “King of the Sun” or “Sotis”. For the Romans, this celestial body received a rather prosaic name - "Sultry Dog." This is due to the fact that when it appeared in the sky, there was an unbearable summer heat.
Spica is the brightest of the constellation Virgo. Previously, it was called "Spike", which is why the Virgin is most often depicted with ears in her hands. Perhaps this is due to the fact that when the Sun is in Virgo, it is time to harvest.
Regulus is the main star of the constellation Leo. Translated from Latin, this name means "king". The name of this celestial body is more ancient than the constellation itself. He was so called Ptolemy, as well as the Babylonian and Arab astronomers. There is an assumption that it was on this star that the Egyptians determined the timing of field work.
Aldebaran is the main star of the constellation Taurus. Translated from Arabic, its name means "coming after", since this star moves after the Pleiades (the most beautiful open cluster of stars), it seems to catch up with them.
About one of the most striking representatives, she is in the constellation Kiel. Canopus is her name. The name of the celestial body and the constellation itself has a long history. It was Canopus that was the guide for sailors for many thousands of years BC, and today it is the main navigation luminary in the southern hemisphere.
Constellations, stars - they got their names back in antiquity. But now they fascinate with their radiance and remain a mystery to people.
