emamajek on 01-Jan-2016 16:46:13 GMT about * gam CMa
gam CMa (HR 2657) is known by the proper name "Muliphein" (or variants) in several
astronomical references:
(1) Joseph Piazzi (1814) "Praecipuarum Stellarum Inerrantium Positiones Mediae Ineunte Saeculo XIX. Ex Observationibus Habitis In Specula Panormitana Ab anno 1792 ad annum 1813" ["Muliphein"].
(2) Elijah Hinsdale Burritt (1840) "The Geography of the Heavens, and Class Book of Astronomy; Accompanied by a Celestial Atlas" (5th Edition, with an introduction by Thomas Dick. New York, F.J. Huntington and Co.) ["Muliphen"].
(3) Richard Hinckley Allen (1899) "Star-names and their meanings" (G.E. Stechert, New York) ["Muliphen"].
(4) William Tyler Olcott (1911) "Star Lore of All Ages" (G.P. Putnum's Sons, NY and London; republished as "Star Lore: Myths, Legends, and Facts", Dover Publications, Inc., Mineola, NY, USA 2004) ["Muliphen"].
(5) Antonin Becvar (1964) "Atlas of the Heavens - II: Catalogue 1950.0", Praha: Publication House of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and Cambridge, Mass.: Sky Publishing Corporation, 1964, 4th enl. edition, edited by Mohr, Josef M. (scient. ed.) ["Muliphein"].
(6) Dorris Hoffleit & Carlos Jaschek (1991) "The Bright Star Catalogue" (5th edition; Yale University Observatory, New Haven, CT, USA) ["Muliphen; Muliphein; Isis; Mirza"].
(7) Ian Ridpath (2003) "Norton's Star Atlas and Reference Handbook" (20th edition; Dutton) ["Muliphein"].
(8) Paul Kunitzsch & Tim Smart (2006) "A Short Guide to 254 Star Names and Their Derivations" (2nd Revised Edition, Sky Publishing, Cambridge MA, USA) ["Muliphein"].
While "Muliphen" appears to be used by some authors for gam CMa (HR 2657) in the 19th century and early 20th century, most last 20th century and early 21st century authors appear to be using the spelling ("Muliphein") from Piazzi's influential Palermo Catalog (1814).
Note that the name "Muhlifain" (slightly different, presumably similar Arabic origin) has been used by some authors over the past half-century for gam Cen (HR 4819; mainly e.g. Allen's Astrophysical Quantities 1963, 2000, Rhodes 1971, although Kunitzsch has pointed out the erroneous name in Kunitzsch 1983, Kunitzsch & Smart 2006). It is unclear where Allen (1963) would have found the name "Muhlifain" for gam Cen. A name for gam Cen does not appear in the Bright Star Catalog, nor any of the major 19th century or early 20th century compendia on star names (e.g. Ideler 1809, Allen 1899, Samaha 1936, Davis 1944, etc.). It is possible that Allen's Astrophysical Quantities (1963) mistakenly ascribed "Muhlifain" to gam Cen, and this error has propagated. Either way, "Muhlifain" (gam Cen) can be easily confused with "Muliphein" (gam CMa), but use of "Muliphein" for gam CMa appears to have a stronger pedigree in the astronomical literature. Use of "Muhlifain" for gam Cen should probably be discouraged to avoid confusion with "Muliphein" for gam CMa.
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View annotation on * gam CMa object