Poll Question

A lot!

When I was a teenager I had no telescope and spent maybe 2 years
completing a mapping of the local horizon of my observing site (i.e.
naked-eye astronomy: timing the rising and setting of stars and
plotting them on the sliding cellophane bit of my movable chart). I
thoroughly learnt the sky in the process. I never need a map to get my
way around the sky (except for deep sky because I don't know where the
object precisely is). Next type of game I invented myself was to
identify stars in sucker holes (now that's tricky!).

Then I developed a totally overblown interest in star names (really
bordering on obsession, I have three shelves of books on the subject),
especially the ones that are not commonly known (because I find the
names beautiful and culturally full of meaning, to answer Michael
Covington). If I had a good transparent sky tonight, which I haven't
had in ages, I think I could identify at least 100 distinct stars by
their way more than 100 proper names.

Okay, now I'll have to try that...

Clear skies to all,

Pierre, Switzerland

"Pierre Dessemontet" wrote in message
m...

Then I developed a totally overblown interest in star names (really
bordering on obsession, I have three shelves of books on the subject),
especially the ones that are not commonly known (because I find the
names beautiful and culturally full of meaning, to answer Michael
Covington).

I certainly don't deny that they are culturally and historically
interesting. But large numbers of arbitrary names, some of them picked from
single medieval manuscripts, are not my idea of a convenient system. Bayer
and Flamsteed did good work...

BTW, the star "Bogardus," so named in the Meade LX200 online catalog, does
not seem to have had that name anywhere else. We are often dealing with
things like that. In the past, some people (e.g., Nicolaus Venator, and
more recently, 3 Apollo astronauts) named stars after themselves, and the
names got into catalogues.

"Pierre Dessemontet" wrote in message
m...

Then I developed a totally overblown interest in star names (really
bordering on obsession, I have three shelves of books on the subject),
especially the ones that are not commonly known (because I find the
names beautiful and culturally full of meaning, to answer Michael
Covington).

I certainly don't deny that they are culturally and historically
interesting. But large numbers of arbitrary names, some of them picked from
single medieval manuscripts, are not my idea of a convenient system. Bayer
and Flamsteed did good work...

BTW, the star "Bogardus," so named in the Meade LX200 online catalog, does
not seem to have had that name anywhere else. We are often dealing with
things like that. In the past, some people (e.g., Nicolaus Venator, and
more recently, 3 Apollo astronauts) named stars after themselves, and the
names got into catalogues.

"Pierre Dessemontet" wrote in message
m...

Then I developed a totally overblown interest in star names (really
bordering on obsession, I have three shelves of books on the subject),
especially the ones that are not commonly known (because I find the
names beautiful and culturally full of meaning, to answer Michael
Covington).

I certainly don't deny that they are culturally and historically
interesting. But large numbers of arbitrary names, some of them picked from
single medieval manuscripts, are not my idea of a convenient system. Bayer
and Flamsteed did good work...

BTW, the star "Bogardus," so named in the Meade LX200 online catalog, does
not seem to have had that name anywhere else. We are often dealing with
things like that. In the past, some people (e.g., Nicolaus Venator, and
more recently, 3 Apollo astronauts) named stars after themselves, and the
names got into catalogues.

"Pierre Dessemontet" wrote in message
m...

Then I developed a totally overblown interest in star names (really
bordering on obsession, I have three shelves of books on the subject),
especially the ones that are not commonly known (because I find the
names beautiful and culturally full of meaning, to answer Michael
Covington).

I certainly don't deny that they are culturally and historically
interesting. But large numbers of arbitrary names, some of them picked from
single medieval manuscripts, are not my idea of a convenient system. Bayer
and Flamsteed did good work...

BTW, the star "Bogardus," so named in the Meade LX200 online catalog, does
not seem to have had that name anywhere else. We are often dealing with
things like that. In the past, some people (e.g., Nicolaus Venator, and
more recently, 3 Apollo astronauts) named stars after themselves, and the
names got into catalogues.

Easily explained: "Bogardus" is the short form of the Latin "Bogus"
Clear skies,
Bill Meyers

"Michael A. Covington" wrote:

"Pierre Dessemontet" wrote in message
m...

Then I developed a totally overblown interest in star names (really
bordering on obsession, I have three shelves of books on the subject),
especially the ones that are not commonly known (because I find the
names beautiful and culturally full of meaning, to answer Michael
Covington).

I certainly don't deny that they are culturally and historically
interesting. But large numbers of arbitrary names, some of them picked from
single medieval manuscripts, are not my idea of a convenient system. Bayer
and Flamsteed did good work...

BTW, the star "Bogardus," so named in the Meade LX200 online catalog, does
not seem to have had that name anywhere else. We are often dealing with
things like that. In the past, some people (e.g., Nicolaus Venator, and
more recently, 3 Apollo astronauts) named stars after themselves, and the
names got into catalogues.

Easily explained: "Bogardus" is the short form of the Latin "Bogus"
Clear skies,
Bill Meyers

"Michael A. Covington" wrote:

"Pierre Dessemontet" wrote in message
m...

Then I developed a totally overblown interest in star names (really
bordering on obsession, I have three shelves of books on the subject),
especially the ones that are not commonly known (because I find the
names beautiful and culturally full of meaning, to answer Michael
Covington).

I certainly don't deny that they are culturally and historically
interesting. But large numbers of arbitrary names, some of them picked from
single medieval manuscripts, are not my idea of a convenient system. Bayer
and Flamsteed did good work...

BTW, the star "Bogardus," so named in the Meade LX200 online catalog, does
not seem to have had that name anywhere else. We are often dealing with
things like that. In the past, some people (e.g., Nicolaus Venator, and
more recently, 3 Apollo astronauts) named stars after themselves, and the
names got into catalogues.

Easily explained: "Bogardus" is the short form of the Latin "Bogus"
Clear skies,
Bill Meyers

"Michael A. Covington" wrote:

"Pierre Dessemontet" wrote in message
m...

Then I developed a totally overblown interest in star names (really
bordering on obsession, I have three shelves of books on the subject),
especially the ones that are not commonly known (because I find the
names beautiful and culturally full of meaning, to answer Michael
Covington).

I certainly don't deny that they are culturally and historically
interesting. But large numbers of arbitrary names, some of them picked from
single medieval manuscripts, are not my idea of a convenient system. Bayer
and Flamsteed did good work...

BTW, the star "Bogardus," so named in the Meade LX200 online catalog, does
not seem to have had that name anywhere else. We are often dealing with
things like that. In the past, some people (e.g., Nicolaus Venator, and
more recently, 3 Apollo astronauts) named stars after themselves, and the
names got into catalogues.

Easily explained: "Bogardus" is the short form of the Latin "Bogus"
Clear skies,
Bill Meyers

"Michael A. Covington" wrote:

"Pierre Dessemontet" wrote in message
m...

Then I developed a totally overblown interest in star names (really
bordering on obsession, I have three shelves of books on the subject),
especially the ones that are not commonly known (because I find the
names beautiful and culturally full of meaning, to answer Michael
Covington).

I certainly don't deny that they are culturally and historically
interesting. But large numbers of arbitrary names, some of them picked from
single medieval manuscripts, are not my idea of a convenient system. Bayer
and Flamsteed did good work...

BTW, the star "Bogardus," so named in the Meade LX200 online catalog, does
not seem to have had that name anywhere else. We are often dealing with
things like that. In the past, some people (e.g., Nicolaus Venator, and
more recently, 3 Apollo astronauts) named stars after themselves, and the
names got into catalogues.

Seeing how many stars I can name. or learn the name of, sounds like a good
project to me. It shouldn't be too hard to achieve thirty, for there are seven
obvious ones in Orion, and seven in Ursa Major, and five in Canis Major, indeed
four or more in most constellations.
This will be a good project for me as I undertake the Astronomical League
Binocular Messier Certificate program. They can be done at about the same time.
Clear skies,
Bill Meyers