Planet Earth
International Astronomical Union WGSN

Welcome to exopla.net 

the exoplanetarium of the IAU-Working Group on Star Names.

In our exoplanetarium we present:
 * the IAU-Catalog of Star Names (CSN) & their etymologies
 * the 88 constellations and their real (hi)stories  
 * information about our group, work process & backgrounds

FAQ1: In research papers, please kindly use only the names from the IAU-CSN. For aspects of education and heritage preservation, we are developing name-resolvers and an encyclopaedia to keep track of all cultural names per star.

FAQ2: Sorry, we currently don't accept name proposals; only naming campaigns do. Modern invented star names are given to (faint) host stars of exoplanets. For bright stars, we collect and apply historical names from all over the world according to scientific criteria.

Star Names

Some star names are historically developed, other take from indigenous cultures and some are totally artificial.

Constellations

even if you think you know them, you still can learn something new here.

Exoplanets in Astrophysics

NameExoWorlds 

names of exoplanets

Blog

Our recorded talks
and public events

Some suggestions for historical experiments.

Latest News



Letter from a reader

Dear friends of the IAU – WGSN, I am Paolo Palma, an elementary school teacher and visual astronomer for over 25 years. With this email I wanted to thank you[…]


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New Star Names 2024

Press Release The International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) has approved 19 new proper names for stars in 2024, marking another significant step in the organization’s[…]


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WGSN logo


Babylonian Cultural Astronomy

In the recent issue of JAHH, a paper argues that the original Babylonian constellations (pre-MUL.APIN) were used and invented to serve as a cultural calendar. A whole lecture on how[…]


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IAU

at home on planet Earth

… seeking to share knowledge with all humans on this planet.

Some photographs: astronomy on planet Earth

Our world is a beautiful place – we need to take care of it!

Moon Through Telescope

Lunar eclipse, observed at Hildesheim (Europe)

Rainbow above Sahara

Observed in Mauretania (Africa)

Short before Transit of Mercury

northwest Sahara (Africa)

Inka Dark Constellations

by Jessica Gullberg