Pronunciation of star names

[Dealy (Kev)]

I was talking to some relo's the other day and realised I have a complete inability to pronounce some of the star and constellation names.

So thanks again to Mr Google I found this very handy list of pronunciations.

It appears I've been saying Betelgeuse wrong my whole life.

Of course this list is not complete and the one that started me thinking about this is not there, so can someone tell me how to pronounce 'Pleiades'

Kev

[l3gendluk3 (Luke)]

Wait its not bettlegoose? Oops xD

I pronounce Pleadies Play-a-deese (it's French)
-Luke

[glend (Glen)]

Remember the movie - beetlejuice, beetlejuice, beetlejuice!!!

[Dealy (Kev)]

Beetlejuice - yeah that's how I've always said it but according to the list it's Bet-el-jooz.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

AFAIK most star name are derived from Arabic. I know a few Arabic speakers these days so perhaps I'll run a few names past them. If you can find a copy of Burham's Celestial Handbook it gives the derivation and meaning of many star names. I have a feeling Bet-el-geuse is 'armpit of the giant' (lovely mental image ).

[Steffen]

Originally Posted by Dealy

So thanks again to Mr Google I found this very handy list of pronunciations.

Those pronunciations are decidedly American. You may or may not wish to adopt them

Of course this list is not complete and the one that started me thinking about this is not there, so can someone tell me how to pronounce 'Pleiades'

http://translate.google.com/#el/en/πλειαδες

Click on the speaker icon

Cheers
Steffen.

[Astro_Bot]

I've been mispronouncing star names for most of my life, not that I've been particularly fussed about it.

Lately, I've been using these guides:

Star Pronunciation Guide
Constellation Pronunciation Guide

Neither of the above have Pleiades, but the top three online sources I found all agreed that there are two accepted pronunciations:

Play-a-deez or Plee-a-deez

(That talking dictionary is pretty cool!)

Personally, no matter what the guides say, I think I'm going to keep on saying Beetlejuice ....

[OzStarGazer]

Originally Posted by Dealy

It appears I've been saying Betelgeuse wrong my whole life.

Me too!

[mbaddah (Mo)]

I once read that "Betelgeuse" comes from the arabic "bayt-al-jawz", meaning house of the pair because the Arabs thought it was a binary star.

[WadeH (Wade)]

I use Plee-a-deez also and Bet-el-jooz.


If the Pleeadeez way confuses you could always use the Japanese name which we all know, Subaru

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

Yeah, be careful not to confuse American "English" with proper...

IMO it doesn't much matter how it sounds so long as you're understood. A lot of the names have been around a long time but few languages have not evolved over the last few hundred years (but don't shoot me, I'm no linguist )

I've always said Beetlejuice, that's just me. Again just IMO there's not much worse than trying to enrich the general populous with an interesting subject and putting them right off with names they can't reproduce...

[Wavytone]

Most have trouble with Uranus...

[GeoffW1 (Geoff)]

Very useful indeed.

I've been asked a few of these at school astro nights, and fudged it. Never no more!

I had always thought it was Fo-mal-hut, but I like this version more.

Cheers

[GeoffW1 (Geoff)]

Originally Posted by Wavytone

Most have trouble with Uranus...

That one is worn out by now...........

[Jaybee (John)]

Whoopps..I've always pronounced it Beet - el - geez and plee- a- deez sorry I can't see how you get 'Juice' or 'Jooz' from 'geuse'.....I've been very sheltered....

[killswitch (Edison)]

Ophiuchus Oph off-ih-YOU-kuss

This one has always got me sounding like a tard, and its genitive (Ophiuchi) even more

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by l3gendluk3

Wait its not bettlegoose? Oops xD

I pronounce Pleadies Play-a-deese (it's French)
-Luke

Actually the s is silent so it would sounds like play - ad. Google translate as a sounding feature if you want to listen to all the other names which are derived from Latin.

[Steffen]

Originally Posted by multiweb

Actually the s is silent so it would sounds like play - ad. Google translate as a sounding feature if you want to listen to all the other names which are derived from Latin.

The "s" would be silent in French, but not in Greek (where the name comes from), nor in Latin (where it doesn't come from). See my link above. Now, one could argue that modern Greek pronunciation has not much to do with ancient Greek, but I guess it's as close as we get.

Cheers
Steffen.

[Regulus (Trevor)]

The young amateur astronomer at the simulation at Launceston (Tas) planetarium says Beetlegerz - must be right then, right? Made me smile. I wonder if it is the most mispronounced star name??
I have always pronounced it Bet-el-jooze since that's my take on Arabic (once I got over the movie mentioned below)

And Formal Hoot - reminds me of my high school socials.

[OzStarGazer]

I think I will go back to the Bayer designation, like calling Betelgeuse α Orionis in order not to make mistakes!