The following is an abbreviated summary of the terms of reference for
the Division C IAU Working Group on Star Names approved by the IAU
Executive Committee at the EC98 meeting 6 May 2016 for period
2016-2018.
The Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) will consist of an
international group of astronomers with expertise in stellar
astronomy, astronomical history, and cultural astronomy. The group
will catalog and standardize proper names for stars for the
international astronomical community. Names will first be drawn upon
the extensive historical and world-wide cultural astronomy
literature. The WGSN will:
establish IAU guidelines for the proposal and adoption of names
for stars,
carry out an exhaustive search of the international astronomical
history and astronomical culture literature for candidate star
names,
drawing upon the historical and cultural literature, adopt new
unique names for stars of scientific and historical value for
community use following agreed upon guidelines,
assemble, maintain, publish, and disseminate an official IAU star
name catalog ("IAU-SNC") of names for stars and exoplanets (including
updating the information about the naming of stars on iau.org and
posting the IAU-SNC on iau.org),
The first triennium will focus on incorporating "past" names (from
astronomical history and culture) into modern usage, and it is
anticipated that in future triennia the WGSN would act as the IAU WG
responsible for defining the rules and enabling the process by which
new names for stars and substellar objects of scientific significance
can be proposed by members of the international astronomical
community.
The naming purview for the WGSN will specifically be for stars,
substellar objects, and stellar remnants, and
specifically excludes exoplanets (purview of EC WG Public Naming of
Planets and the Planetary Systems), interstellar medium features
(nebulae), and extragalactic objects. Exoplanet names will be
catalogued as well so as to avoid duplication with star names.
