- GIRTAB (Theta Scorpii). Girtab, Bayer’s Theta star within Scorpius, the celestial scorpion, stands out in almost any way you can look at it. The name alone is unusual, in that it comes to us from Sumerian rather than Arabic or Greek, and means simply “the scorpion.”
- The name Girtab is also used by Kappa Scorpii. This Girtab refers specifically to Theta Scorpii, known as Sargas.
- Star Tales - Canes Venatici (ianridpath.com)
The Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius formed this constellation in 1687 from a scattering of faint stars beneath the tail of Ursa Major. Canes Venatici represents a pair of greyhounds held on a lead by Boötes, snapping at the heels of the Great Bear. Hevelius named the dogs Asterion (‘Starry’) and Chara (‘Dear’), identifying them as male and female respectively…