The stories behind Aboriginal star names now recognised by the world's astronomical body

Four stars in the night sky have been formally recognised by their Australian Aboriginal names.

he names include three from the Wardaman people of the Northern Territory and one from the Boorong people of western Victoria. The Wardaman star names are Larawag, Wurren and Ginan in the Western constellations Scorpius, Phoenix and Crux (the Southern Cross). The Boorong star name is Unurgunite in Canis Majoris (the Great Dog).

They are among 86 new star names drawn from Chinese, Coptic, Hindu, Mayan, Polynesian, South African and Aboriginal Australian cultures.

These names represent a step forward by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) – the global network of the world's roughly 12,000 professional astronomers – in recognising the importance of traditional language and Indigenous starlore.

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Credit: Bill Yidumduma Harney, CC BY

Milky Way star map by Bill Yidumduma Harney, Senior Wardaman

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Credit: Flickr/Eddie Yip, CC BY-SA

Alpha Crucis is the bottom star on the Southern Cross constellation on the right of this image, photographed from the Northern Territory over a two minute exposure.

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Credit: International Astronomical Union, CC BY

Epsilon Scorpii in the constellation Scorpius. Scorpius is not to be confused with the Wardaman scorpion constellation, Mundarla, in the Western constellation Serpens

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The WGSN is looking to identify even more star names from Australia and other Indigenous cultures around the world. As Indigenous cultures have a rich collection of names for even the faintest stars, many new star names could gain IAU recognition.