Gould designations forstars are similar toFlamsteed designations in the way that they number stars within aconstellation in increasing order ofright ascension. Each star is assigned an integer (starting at 1), followed by " G. " (or occasionally followed directly by a "G" without a space), and then the Latingenitive of theconstellation it lies in. See88 modern constellations for a list of constellations and the genitive forms of their names.
They were assigned according to the stars' positions inepoch 1875.0, and over time are affected byPrecession of the Equinoxes.[1] Due to the star'sproper motions or cpm., some stars may now occur out of order.
Gould designations first appeared inUranometria Argentina,[2][3] a catalogue published in 1879 byBenjamin Apthorp Gould.[4] Many of these designations have fallen out of use, though for many relatively bright southern stars (which are too far south to bear Flamsteed designations), Gould numbers remain the only simple designations available without referring to cumbersome catalogue numbers.
Gould's catalogue includes 66 constellations (some of which are also covered partially or fully by Flamsteed numbers):
†30 Doradus and47 Tucanae areBode numbers, not Gould designations.
Many of these were listed in the cross-index by Kostjuk,[5] with their Gould numbers supplied as their supposed Flamsteed number. From this cross-index, the designations found their way into other sources, including SIMBAD. Many stars commonly known by their Gould designations are nearby stars.
Additional designations were heavily dropped and forgotten, i.e.Kapteyn's Star was originally called C.Z. V 243 by Gould himself, But these designations are extremely rare to find outside of that aforementioned article.