Persian (All Terms)

Solar System Names

Traditional Terms	Middle Persian	English	Commentary
مهر	Mehr	Sun
ماه	Māh	Moon
هرمزد	Ohrmazd	Jupiter
وهرام	Wahrām	Mars
آناهید	Anāhīd	Venus
تیر	Tīr	Mercury
کیوان	Kēwān	Saturn

Here is an overview on all Persian Star names

No.	Modern Persian Name فارسی	Avestan, Pahlavi (Pāzand) and Persian Transcriptions	Etymological Meaning, when possible	Commentary
1	تیشتر	Pahl. Tishtar	The one connected with the three stars	Tištrya-, m., was an Ancient Zoroastrian astral deity associated with rain and water. This good is the protagonist of the myth of the liberation of the watrs, to which the 8th Yašt 8 of the Avesta, named also Tištar Yašt, is dedicated. This god appears as a man, a horse, and a bull over 30 nights probably starting with the period of his heliacal rising. This star Sirius was linked to the return of springs and opposed by the planet Mercury (Tīr) and the shooting stars in later Pahlavi sources. Sometimes Tištar and Tīr are associated and confused In the later Mazdean literature.
2	سَدویس	Pahl. Sadwēs	The one with a hundred servants	In Avestan, its name was Satavaēsa-, m. This denomination can be explained as a compound of sata-, “hundred”, and vaēsa-, which  seems to be connected with Skt. vaiśa-, “servant”. Though its identification is debated, it is often linked to Fomalhaut (α Piscis Austrini); Henning thought it was Antares. A recent suggestion associating it with Deneb is not satisfactory. Pahlavi texts (Bundahišn X.11) mention it as connected to a lake named Sadwēs via cords of wind. Some scholars have speculated that it was originally a name for the rainbow, later reassigned to a star. Its single-star identity is confirmed in both Pahlavi Zoroastrian and Manichaean sources.
3	وَنَند	Pahl. Wanand	The Victorious One	In Avestan its name was Vanaṇt-, m., “the victorious one”; cf. also Pahlavi Wanand; it corresponds to Vega, α Lyr. In Avestan texts, this is a special divinity to which a little hymn was dedicated (the 21st of the canon), that specifically invokes him for his antidemonic powers. Vanant is also the name of one of the lunar mansions, the 20thof the list, where ita Pāzand form is Varant.
4	هَفتورنگ	Pahl. Haftōrang	Seven signs	The Av. name of this constellation was Haptōiriṇga-, m. (Pahlavi Haftōring/Haftōrang), and refers to the Big Dipper. Its meaning was “Seven signs” or “seven penises”. This term, like other Indo-European denominations for the same constellation, focuses on the number seven (e.g., Latin Septentriones, Sanskrit Sapta-ṛṣáyaḥ, etc.). According to later Zoroastrian doctrines, its seven stars correspond to the seven continents of the earth via cords of wind. In Pahlavi literature, Haftōring is depicted as the General of the North, opposing the planet Ohrmazd (Jupiter), and is believed to protect the regular circular motion of zodiacal signs around the northern hell.
5	میخگاه	Pahl. MēxGāh	The Pivot of the place / The Pole Star	Pahlavi Mēx ī Gāh, “the nail of the sky”, refers to Polaris, the North Star. In the Pahlavi texts it was considered the commander  in chief of the celestial army. Its cosmic adversary is Kēwān, the planet Saturn. In Avestan times there was no Pole Star, but the area between the two Bears was associated to mərəzu-, “vertebra”, i.e. a cosmic peg, perhaps associated with two or more stars of the Draco constellation.
6	نخو/ نهن	Pāz. Nahn (Pahl. Naxw)	beginning (of Leo)	This is the 10th lunar mansion. In Pahlavi, Naxw means “beginning” or “first.” It corresponds to the 10th Sanskrit asterism Maghā, and in Arabic it aligns with al-Jabha, "forehead", located in the Leo constellation (specifically four stars in the head of the lion). According to Henning, it refers to Regulus and neighboring stars, marking the Lion’s heart or front. The Sogdian form is also associated with Maghā in Sanskrit. "Nahn", the Persian term for "Nose", given to ξ Cnc in the NASA Memorandum by Rhoads (1971). assigned to the star ξ Cnc registered on 2018/06/01.
7	بوندا	Pāz. Bunda (Pahl. Bunya)	henbane	The twenty-fourth xwardag is called [WHERE DID YOU FIND; IT is not in the mss.] Banzag or Bang, derived from the word for “henbane” or “hemp.” It corresponds to the Sanskrit asterism Śraviṣṭhā / Dhaniṣṭhā, located in the constellation Delphinus or Capricornus. In al-Bīrūnī’s Sogdian-Khwarezmian list, the 22nd mansion matches this, and the  Arabic equivalent is سعد السعود (Saʿd al-Suʿūd, “the Luckiest of the Lucky”). Bunda (a Persian lunar mansion), assigned to the star ξ Aqr on 2018/06/01.
8	سروش	Pahl. Sorūsh	Means “obedience” or “discipline.” Known as the “Pious Sraoša” (Pahlavi: srōš ī ahlaw).	Av. Sraōša was a divine messenger, a high god representing “obedience”; he is one of the most important Mazdean divinities. In Zoroastrain ancient and medieval soures, he is not associated with astral bodies. Today, among Persian-speaking astronomers, the name of Sraōša is commonly associated with the star Capella (α Aur).
9	جوزهر	Giausar Cf. Pahl. Gōzihr or Gawcihr	class="wikitable"	From New Persian jozhar meaning "poisonous place".*** In Pahlavi texts it was the name of the celestial Dragone occupying 180° degress, whose head and tail corresponded to the two nides of the moon. It is of Sasanian origin, but its role is badsed on Greek and Indian traditions.
10	شاهین	Alshain	Falcon	Both names (with a misreading in the second word) from abbreviating the Persian asterism name shāhīn-i tarazu, "the Scale Beam," for a, ẞ, and y Aql. The Persian name, in turn, was a medieval translation of these stars' indigenus-Arabic name al-mizan, "the Balance" (said to be a popular name for the ind-Arabs' al-nasr al-tā ir listed under a Aql). Kunitzsch, Paul; Smart, Tim (2006). A Dictionary of Modern star Names: A Short Guide to 254 Star Names and Their Derivations (2nd rev. ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Sky Pub..
11	ترازو	Tarazed	the Balance
12	کاوه	Kaveh	One of the heroes of the Shahnameh	The NameExoWorlds campaign approved the name Kaveh in 2019 for the star HD 175541. Kaveh is one of the heroes of the Šāhnāmeh, the epic poem composed by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between 977 and 1010 CE. He is a blacksmith who symbolizes justice and resistance against tyranny. Kaveh carries a banner called Derafsh-e Kaviani (Derafsh: “banner”; Kaviani: The flag belonging to the Kavih, the ancient Iranian heroes of the folklore). The name Kavian was approved for the planet orbiting HD 175541.