The following has been compiled by Graham Beard to whom I am very grateful for allowing me to publish and extract from his work on GU Star class names.
The entry entry explains the (now defunct) constellation Argo, from which I think they got Bargus.
The entry entry explains the (now defunct) constellation Argo, from which I think they got Bargus.
Argo
214 Argo [Navis]** (K)Former Const. Argo Navis (or simply Argo) The Ship of the Argonauts. This once extensive constellation, dating from Gk times and named after Jason’s fifty-oared galley, was broken up into three smaller groups in the 1750s by
Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, and two further formations
(Pyxis and Malus) are related to it (components of Argo are marked in this study by two asterisks**). Nicolas Louis de Lacaille (1713-1762), a French astronomer, was the first to map the southern skies compre-hensively. He directed an expedition of the French Academy of Sciences to the Cape of Good Hope in 1750-1754. His survey listed over 10,000 stars and the results, together with a star map, were published (posthumously) in 1763 under the title Coelum Australe Stelliferum.
Argo Navis was amongst the 48 constellations described by Ptolemy (c90-c168 CE) in his astronomical treatise, Almagest (Lat. from Ar. ‘Great Book’), one of the earliest astronomical works which plotted motions of the stars and the paths of the planets. Several fine drawings of the galley appeared in astronomical works, where it was shown complete with its oars and sail. It was a huge formation in the southern sky, covering such a vast area that de Lacaille felt it necessary to break it up into more manageable pieces. The three new constellations are Carina (The Keel, or Hull), Puppis (The Poop Deck) and Vela (The Sails). These inherited Argo’s unaltered Beyer letters (the Gk alpha-betical classification), thus Carina has alpha, beta and eta Argus (now Carinae); Vela has gamma and delta; and Puppis has zeta and so on. Pyxis (The Mariner’s Compass) was once considered to be a fourth section of the remodelled Argo, being located in an area designated part of Argo’s mast. It is no longer considered part of Argo, and its Beyer numbers are separate from Carina, Puppis and Vela. The stars of Malus (The Mast), once identified as part of Argo, were incorporated into Pyxis.
In mythology Jason’s craft was built for his celebrated quest to find the Golden Fleece. The ship was constructed at Pagasae by Argos (after whom it was named), with the help of Athena who provided the wood for the prow, a piece of the sacred oak at Dodona. Athena herself had cut it and given it the power of speech and prophesy. Several accounts exist of the exploits of the Argonauts (Jason and his crew), and these give differing lists of the crew members – one includes Atalanta as the only female to join the expedition. Hercules, Castor and Pollux, and Orpheus have all been named as crew. Lacaille’s splitting of Argo into three separate elements was not universally endorsed until 1930, so it was very likely still to have featured in any astronomy book lying around in a GU office.
Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, and two further formations
(Pyxis and Malus) are related to it (components of Argo are marked in this study by two asterisks**). Nicolas Louis de Lacaille (1713-1762), a French astronomer, was the first to map the southern skies compre-hensively. He directed an expedition of the French Academy of Sciences to the Cape of Good Hope in 1750-1754. His survey listed over 10,000 stars and the results, together with a star map, were published (posthumously) in 1763 under the title Coelum Australe Stelliferum.
Argo Navis was amongst the 48 constellations described by Ptolemy (c90-c168 CE) in his astronomical treatise, Almagest (Lat. from Ar. ‘Great Book’), one of the earliest astronomical works which plotted motions of the stars and the paths of the planets. Several fine drawings of the galley appeared in astronomical works, where it was shown complete with its oars and sail. It was a huge formation in the southern sky, covering such a vast area that de Lacaille felt it necessary to break it up into more manageable pieces. The three new constellations are Carina (The Keel, or Hull), Puppis (The Poop Deck) and Vela (The Sails). These inherited Argo’s unaltered Beyer letters (the Gk alpha-betical classification), thus Carina has alpha, beta and eta Argus (now Carinae); Vela has gamma and delta; and Puppis has zeta and so on. Pyxis (The Mariner’s Compass) was once considered to be a fourth section of the remodelled Argo, being located in an area designated part of Argo’s mast. It is no longer considered part of Argo, and its Beyer numbers are separate from Carina, Puppis and Vela. The stars of Malus (The Mast), once identified as part of Argo, were incorporated into Pyxis.
In mythology Jason’s craft was built for his celebrated quest to find the Golden Fleece. The ship was constructed at Pagasae by Argos (after whom it was named), with the help of Athena who provided the wood for the prow, a piece of the sacred oak at Dodona. Athena herself had cut it and given it the power of speech and prophesy. Several accounts exist of the exploits of the Argonauts (Jason and his crew), and these give differing lists of the crew members – one includes Atalanta as the only female to join the expedition. Hercules, Castor and Pollux, and Orpheus have all been named as crew. Lacaille’s splitting of Argo into three separate elements was not universally endorsed until 1930, so it was very likely still to have featured in any astronomy book lying around in a GU office.
214 Argo [Navis]** (K)Former Const. Argo Navis (or simply Argo) The Ship of the Argonauts. This once extensive constellation, dating from Gk times and named after Jason’s fifty-oared galley, was broken up into three smaller groups in the 1750s by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, and two further formations (Pyxis and Malus) are related to it (components of Argo are marked in this study by two asterisks**). Nicolas Louis de Lacaille (1713-1762), a French astronomer, was the first to map the southern skies compre-hensively. He directed an expedition of the French Academy of Sciences to the Cape of Good Hope in 1750-1754. His survey listed over 10,000 stars and the results, together with a star map, were published (posthumously) in 1763 under the title Coelum Australe Stelliferum.
Argo Navis was amongst the 48 constellations described by Ptolemy (c90-c168 CE) in his astronomical treatise, Almagest (Lat. from Ar. ‘Great Book’), one of the earliest astronomical works which plotted motions of the stars and the paths of the planets. Several fine drawings of the galley appeared in astronomical works, where it was shown complete with its oars and sail. It was a huge formation in the southern sky, covering such a vast area that de Lacaille felt it necessary to break it up into more manageable pieces. The three new constellations are Carina (The Keel, or Hull), Puppis (The Poop Deck) and Vela (The Sails). These inherited Argo’s unaltered Beyer letters (the Gk alpha-betical classification), thus Carina has alpha, beta and eta Argus (now Carinae); Vela has gamma and delta; and Puppis has zeta and so on. Pyxis (The Mariner’s Compass) was once considered to be a fourth section of the remodelled Argo, being located in an area designated part of Argo’s mast. It is no longer considered part of Argo, and its Beyer numbers are separate from Carina, Puppis and Vela. The stars of Malus (The Mast), once identified as part of Argo, were incorporated into Pyxis.
In mythology Jason’s craft was built for his celebrated quest to find the Golden Fleece. The ship was constructed at Pagasae by Argos (after whom it was named), with the help of Athena who provided the wood for the prow, a piece of the sacred oak at Dodona. Athena herself had cut it and given it the power of speech and prophesy. Several accounts exist of the exploits of the Argonauts (Jason and his crew), and these give differing lists of the crew members – one includes Atalanta as the only female to join the expedition. Hercules, Castor and Pollux, and Orpheus have all been named as crew. Lacaille’s splitting of Argo into three separate elements was not universally endorsed until 1930, so it was very likely still to have featured in any astronomy book lying around in a GU office.
Argo Navis was amongst the 48 constellations described by Ptolemy (c90-c168 CE) in his astronomical treatise, Almagest (Lat. from Ar. ‘Great Book’), one of the earliest astronomical works which plotted motions of the stars and the paths of the planets. Several fine drawings of the galley appeared in astronomical works, where it was shown complete with its oars and sail. It was a huge formation in the southern sky, covering such a vast area that de Lacaille felt it necessary to break it up into more manageable pieces. The three new constellations are Carina (The Keel, or Hull), Puppis (The Poop Deck) and Vela (The Sails). These inherited Argo’s unaltered Beyer letters (the Gk alpha-betical classification), thus Carina has alpha, beta and eta Argus (now Carinae); Vela has gamma and delta; and Puppis has zeta and so on. Pyxis (The Mariner’s Compass) was once considered to be a fourth section of the remodelled Argo, being located in an area designated part of Argo’s mast. It is no longer considered part of Argo, and its Beyer numbers are separate from Carina, Puppis and Vela. The stars of Malus (The Mast), once identified as part of Argo, were incorporated into Pyxis.
In mythology Jason’s craft was built for his celebrated quest to find the Golden Fleece. The ship was constructed at Pagasae by Argos (after whom it was named), with the help of Athena who provided the wood for the prow, a piece of the sacred oak at Dodona. Athena herself had cut it and given it the power of speech and prophesy. Several accounts exist of the exploits of the Argonauts (Jason and his crew), and these give differing lists of the crew members – one includes Atalanta as the only female to join the expedition. Hercules, Castor and Pollux, and Orpheus have all been named as crew. Lacaille’s splitting of Argo into three separate elements was not universally endorsed until 1930, so it was very likely still to have featured in any astronomy book lying around in a GU office.
Bargus
18 Bargus (N)
This puzzling name has (a) a possible connection with Ancient Greece, or (b) a speculative but plausible astronomical link.
(a) Classical geography. The Bargus was a river of Thrace (now largely in modern Turkey). It was a tributary of the Ebrus, and mentioned in Pliny (his great encyclo-pedia Naturalis Historia) [Pliny the Elder, c23-79 CE.]. This, however, is a very recherché piece of information; not the first thing one would credit a GU employee with knowing. In Gk mythology there is a connection with the Ebrus and the poet Orpheus (see Argo). He was killed by the women of Thrace (the Maenads) who were jealous of all the young men he attracted. They dismembered his body, and his head rolled into the river Ebrus (see Lyra).
(b) Astronomy. This may appear a ‘long shot,’ but is my favoured explanation. As stated in the entry for Argo(above), the constellation Argo Navis (not officially superceded until 1930) would likely have featured in any book of stars that fell into the hands of a GU clerk. I think it’s quite feasible that Bargus is a mis-reading of Beta Argus (β Argus), i.e. the second star in the Beyer classification for Argo Navis (usually abbreviated to Argo). The Greek beta is so like the Roman B that this would be a simple error to make; and the genitive form of Argo, used in the Beyer classification, is Argus. Today this star is beta Carinae (in Carina, The Keel). It is one of the brightest stars in the sky, and goes under the name Miaplacidus, ‘Placid Waters’ (a hybrid etymology from Ar. mi’ah = waters, + Lat. placidus = placid). Perhaps it was intended that this prominent star should lend its picturesque (and appropriate) name to a boat, but someone slipped up and got the Beyer designation instead? (it was certainly easier to spell) I like conspiracy theories!
This puzzling name has (a) a possible connection with Ancient Greece, or (b) a speculative but plausible astronomical link.
(a) Classical geography. The Bargus was a river of Thrace (now largely in modern Turkey). It was a tributary of the Ebrus, and mentioned in Pliny (his great encyclo-pedia Naturalis Historia) [Pliny the Elder, c23-79 CE.]. This, however, is a very recherché piece of information; not the first thing one would credit a GU employee with knowing. In Gk mythology there is a connection with the Ebrus and the poet Orpheus (see Argo). He was killed by the women of Thrace (the Maenads) who were jealous of all the young men he attracted. They dismembered his body, and his head rolled into the river Ebrus (see Lyra).
(b) Astronomy. This may appear a ‘long shot,’ but is my favoured explanation. As stated in the entry for Argo(above), the constellation Argo Navis (not officially superceded until 1930) would likely have featured in any book of stars that fell into the hands of a GU clerk. I think it’s quite feasible that Bargus is a mis-reading of Beta Argus (β Argus), i.e. the second star in the Beyer classification for Argo Navis (usually abbreviated to Argo). The Greek beta is so like the Roman B that this would be a simple error to make; and the genitive form of Argo, used in the Beyer classification, is Argus. Today this star is beta Carinae (in Carina, The Keel). It is one of the brightest stars in the sky, and goes under the name Miaplacidus, ‘Placid Waters’ (a hybrid etymology from Ar. mi’ah = waters, + Lat. placidus = placid). Perhaps it was intended that this prominent star should lend its picturesque (and appropriate) name to a boat, but someone slipped up and got the Beyer designation instead? (it was certainly easier to spell) I like conspiracy theories!
Betelgeuse
235 Betelgeuse (N) Ar. ‘Armpit’Star : alpha Orionis (Orion, The Hunter) The name is from the Arabic Ibt al Jauzah meaning ‘Armpit of the Central One.’ The name has appeared in a variety of corrupted forms over the centuries, including Bed El Geuga and Beit Algeuze, but the current spelling has been long established. Other Ar. names for the same star included: Al Mankib, ‘the Shoulder’; Al Dhira, ‘The Arm’,
and Al Yad al Yamna, ‘the Right Hand’. Betelgeuse is a vast supergiant of unmistakable red hue, and marks the top LH part of the body of Orion, his ‘shoulder’ (or armpit). Diagonally opposite, at the bottom RHS is Rigel (Rigal).
and Al Yad al Yamna, ‘the Right Hand’. Betelgeuse is a vast supergiant of unmistakable red hue, and marks the top LH part of the body of Orion, his ‘shoulder’ (or armpit). Diagonally opposite, at the bottom RHS is Rigel (Rigal).
