Lang-Exster

In his first publication, de Houtman (1603) named the constellation "Exster".

This star name was newly applied to the brightest star in the constellation Tucana. It combines a Malayan 'hornbill' and Dutch 'magpie'.

Etymology and History

IAU WGSN applied the name in 2024 reminiscent of the original constellation name.

Constellation Name

The entry in de Houtman's original star catalogue for the new constellation it is written in Dutch

"den Indiaenschen Exster, op Indies Lang ghenaemt".

The term "Lang" originates from the Malayan language and it was used by some globe makers to label the constellation (see Tucana-entry). The term "Exster" is Dutch and means magpie. The bird that de Houtman refers to is actually a hornbill which does not have a European equivalent; it has a strong significance in indigenous cultures, e.g. the Dayak cultures in Indonesia.

Naming of the Main Star

The intention of this naming was using both terms: the European one and the Indigenous one, so WGSN created a double name. It had been suggested to use (either) "Exster" and (or) "Lang". It was discussed that the Dutch term "Exster" could leave some unpleasant aftertaste of colonialism, which is not wanted by WGSN and which was and is not interpreted in Asia (the Asians are very relaxed concerning this part of history; they love to be free now and not a colony anymore, but they also considered this part of history as a interesting historical exchange that left its traces in their modern culture). The alternative, using only the term "Lang" could also be misleading as the short word has a meaning in modern Dutch that differs from historical Dutch - it is important to mention that this is not a European term but a Malayan one (although the spelling might not match modern Malayan or Indonesian "Bahasa"). More importantly, colonialism or occupation was also certainly not intended by the Dutch creator (Frederik de Houtman) of the name: he wrote a dictionary on the Malayan language in Dutch, so his intention was to preserve the Malayan term(s), and he wrote it in prison (in Aceh, those days Malaysia, today Indonesia), so he was captured and did not occupy.

WGSN considers this naming as a unique encounter of historical cultural exchange (without surpressing intentions).

Thus, WGSN decided to name the (unresolved) star Lang-Exster. In compound words, in many languages, the determining part is first and the main word is second. So, the Lang-Exster is considered the one magpie, among all magpie species, that is also called "lang".

IAU Working Group Star Names

As alpha Tucanae is a spectroscopic binary, WGSN considered giving it a double name justified. It is a main star of an official constellation and only one dot of light is visible in the sky. Hence, people will talk about it in the public: a planetarian or amateur astronomer who points at that star, will just say "This is the main star of the constellation Tuc; the IAU named it Lang-Exster to remind us on the original name of the constellation: 'Exster' in Dutch, 'Lang' in Malayan, for the definition of the constellation was given in a Malayan-Dutch dictionary". WGSN would be fine to split the name in its components when referring to the binary components in astrophysics papers (similar to Alcor-Mizar).

The name Lang-Exster for the visual dot-source α Tucanae was officialized by the IAU WGSN in 2024.

Reference

1. REDIRECT Tucana