Flamsteed designation facts for kids
Flamsteed designations are a special way to name stars, similar to how we might give numbers to players on a sports team. They use numbers instead of Greek letters, which are used in another system called Bayer designations. This system helped identify 2,554 stars in total.
What Are Flamsteed Designations?
Flamsteed designations give each star a number within its constellation. Imagine a constellation as a group of stars forming a picture in the sky. The numbers are usually given in the order of how early the stars appear in the night sky from east to west. This order is called right ascension.
However, over many years, the Earth's wobble (called precession) has slightly changed the positions of stars in the sky. Because of this, some Flamsteed numbers are now a little out of order.
The History Behind the Numbers
This numbering system was created by a famous English astronomer named John Flamsteed. He first published it in his important book, Historia Coelestis Britannica, in 1712. This book was put together and published by two other well-known scientists, Edmond Halley and Isaac Newton.
Images for kids
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Northern hemisphere from Flamsteed's Atlas Coelestis
See also
In Spanish: Denominación de Flamsteed para niños
