International Astronomical Union Clarifies Star Names

As of November 2016, some of our more star names have officially changed thanks to the International Astronomical Union. This has been an ongoing project to clarify many names which Formalhaut, which is currently known by around thirty different names and/or spellings.

Rigil Kentaurus and Proxima Centauri

vary from region to region and assign a formal designation to stars with many names. The most prominent change is a star that many may recognize Alpha Centauri. Alpha Centauri is part of a trinary system consisting of what used to be known as Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, and Alpha Centauri C. Alpha Centauri A has been redesignated to its more ancient name, Rigil Kentaurus while Alpha Centauri C will keep its name of Proxima Centauri. Another less well-known example is the star

What does this mean for the average person? Not much really since the names of stars aren't really a topic of conversation for most people, but for those of us who pay attention to such things or write about such things, it's a little bit of adjustment. In order to stay current and up-to-date, I had to go back and revise some things in my current manuscript to reflect the changes.

Royce Sears
www.roycesears.com