Matt McIrvin on Nostr: nprofile1q…ufa4k My reaction to this was "wait a minute, since when were 'Rigil ...
nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpqknzsux7p6lzwzdedp3m8c3c92z0swzc0xyy5glvse58txj5e9ztqaufa4k (nprofile…fa4k) My reaction to this was "wait a minute, since when were 'Rigil Kentaurus' and 'Toliman' specifically the names of α Cen A and B , rather than just being two different old names for the A/B pair?"
Turns out the answer is: since 2016 and 2018 respectively, by somewhat arbitrary decision of the IAU, since they decided to start blessing proper star names. It's elegant, though perhaps not ratified by history.
Turns out the answer is: since 2016 and 2018 respectively, by somewhat arbitrary decision of the IAU, since they decided to start blessing proper star names. It's elegant, though perhaps not ratified by history.