Allen, Star Names

Book cover for Richard Allen, Star Names

This work by Allen is a true classic, still the essential starting point for investigation of skylore.  Each IAU Constellation page at this website links to the corresponding chapter at Google Books.  The Table of Contents at Google Books does not indicate constellations names, so use the table of contents below instead.

Allen wrote Star Names before the 1922 standardization of the boundaries of 88 constellations by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).  Therefore Allen discussed a number of historic constellations not officially recognized today, which are listed separately in the right column below.  In addition, Allen discussed some of the IAU constellations, such as Pictor and Volans, under different names.  Links are to the first Google Books page of Allen's discussion for any given constellation.

IAU Constellation Index

  1. And:  31-40
  2. Ant:  42-43
  3. Aps: 43-45
  4. Aqr:  45-55
  5. Aql:  55-61
  6. Ara:  61-64
  7. Ari:  75-83
  8. Aur:  83-92
  9. Boo: 92-106
  10. Cae:  106
  11. Cam:  106-107
  12. Cnc:  107-114
  13. CVn:  114-117
  14. CMa:  117-131
  15. CMi:  131-135
  16. Cap:  135-142
  17. Car:  Argo Navis, 64-75
  18. Cas:  142-148
  19. Cen:  148-155
  20. Cep:  155-159
  21. Cet:  160-165
  22. Cha:  165-166
  23. Cir:  166
  24. Col:  166-168
  25. Com:  168-172
  26. CrA:  172-174
  27. CrB:  174-179
  28. Crv:  179-182
  29. Crt:  182-184
  30. Cru:  184-191
  31. Cyg:  192-198
  32. Del:  198-201
  33. Dor:  201-202
  34. Dra:  202-212
  35. Equ:  212-214
  36. Eri:  215-220
  37. For:  221
  38. Gem:  222-237
  39. Gru:  237-238
  40. Her:  238-246
  41. Hor:  246
  42. Hya:  246-250
  43. Hyi:  250
  44. Ind:  250-251
  45. Lac:  251
  46. Leo:  252-263
  47. LMi:  263-264
  48. Lep:  264-269
  49. Lib:  269-278
  50. Lup:  278-279
  51. Lyn:  279-280
  52. Lyr:  280-288
  53. Mic:  289
  54. Mon:  289-290
  55. Men:  291
  56. Mus:  291
  57. Nor:  293-294
  58. Oct:  296-297
  59. Oph:  297-303
  60. Ori:  303-320
  61. Pav:  320-321
  62. Peg:  321-329
  63. Per:  329-335
  64. Phe:  335-336
  65. Pic:  214-215
  66. Psc:  336-343
  67. PsA:  344-347
  68. Pup: Argo Navis, 64-75
  69. Pyx:  348
  70. Ret:  348-349
  71. Sge:  349-351
  72. Sgr:  351-360
  73. Sco:  360-372
  74. Scl:  372
  75. Sct:  373-374
  76. Ser:  374-376
  77. Sex:  376-377
  78. Tau:  378-413
    1. Hyades, 386-391
    2. Pleiades, 391-413
  79. Tel:  414
  80. Tri:  414-416
  81. TrA:  417
  82. Tuc:  417-418
  83. UMa:  419-447
  84. UMi:  447-460
  85. Vel:  Argo Navis, 64-75
  86. Vir:  460-473
  87. Vol:  347
  88. Vul:  473-474

 

Asterisms (accepted as constellations by Allen)

  • Antinous: 40-42
  • Argo Navis:  64-75
  • Cerberus:  159-160
  • Custos Messium the Harvest-Keeper:  191-192
  • Felis the Cat:  220-221
  • Frederici Honores:  221-222
  • Globus Aerostaticus vel Aetherius the Balloon:  237
  • Machina Electrica:  289
  • Mons Maenalus:  290-291
  • Musca Borealis:  292
  • Noctua:  292-293
  • Nubeculae Magellani:  294-295
    • Nubecula Major:  295
    • Nubecula Minor:  295
  • Officina Typographica the Printing Press:  297
  • Psalterium Georgii the Harp of King George:  347-348
  • Quadrans Muralis the Mural Quadrant:  348
  • Robur Carolinum the Tree of King Charles:  349
  • Sceptrum Brandenburgicum the Brandenburg Scepter:  360
  • Solarium the Sundial:  377
  • Tarandus vel Rangifer the Reindeer:  377-378
  • Taurus Poniatonii the Bull of Poniatowski:  413-414
  • Telescopium Herschelii:  414
  • Triangulum Minor:  417
  • Turdus Solitarius the Solitary Thrush:  418

 

Next steps:

  • For advanced scholarship, see A Dictionary of Modern Star Names, by Kunitzsch and Smart.
  • For a recent, accessible overview of skylore, see The New Patterns in the Sky, by Staal.