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Stars

• Show names

  Three choices are possible:

  • Proper names [1] : Betelgeuse, Rigel, etc.

  • Bayer letters [2] : \(\alpha\) Ori for Betelgeuse for example.

  • Flamsteed number [3] : 58 Ori for Betelgeuse…

• Zero magnitude (in pixels): diameter in pixels of stars with a 0 magnitude (20 pixels by default). The appearance of other stars is calculated from this parameter.

• Limit Magnitude: sets an upper limit of the magnitude of the stars to be displayed (22 by default).

• Contrast: increasing the contrast reduces the number of stars displayed, and vice versa (1.0 by default)…

• Representation of stars: proposes two possible representations. The textures are in the textures/Stars directory.

Notes

[1]

These names are mostly derived from Arabic or Latin sentences describing the position of the star in their constellation, which also explains why there are relatively few low declination stars, which are not visible to the civilizations that have given us these names.

[2]

These designations were introduced by the astronomer Johann Bayer (1572-1625) in his Uranometria, the first celestial atlas covering the entire celestial sphere, published in Augsburg in 1603. They usually consist of a Greek letter followed by the genitive of the name of the constellation where the star is located.

[3]

Some stars are given a name called Flamsteed designation. This designation is similar to the Bayer designation, but uses a number instead of a Greek letter. Each star is assigned a number followed by the Latin genitive of the constellation of which it is a part.