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While cleaning my desk, I found an out of date star map (puts the cleaning into perspective, huh?) where the Scutum constellation is still referred to as Scutum Sobiescianum). This is the original name Johannes Hevelius gave it in 1684

My map is (unfortunately) modern and comes from the 2nd half of the 20th century. It's a Polish one so it's not odd for it to still use the traditional name. The main illustration of the Scutum article in Polish Wikipedia happens to do so as well.

Scutum in Polish Wikipedia

I know the name of the constellation has been changed but I can't find any information on who did it and when. I suppose it must have been the IAU (International Astronomical Union) but I have no idea regarding the time of the change.

When was the English name of the constellation officially changed and who did it?

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    $\begingroup$ iau.org/public/themes/naming suggests this occurred in 1922. $\endgroup$
    – user21
    Dec 23, 2015 at 15:28
  • $\begingroup$ @barrycarter seems legit. Please add it as an answer and quote the relevant passage. $\endgroup$
    – toniedzwiedz
    Dec 23, 2015 at 23:24
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    $\begingroup$ I have a pathological fear of answering questions :) Go ahead and expound on my answer by answering it yourself and taking credit. $\endgroup$
    – user21
    Dec 27, 2015 at 19:13

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IAU's official website mentions that the names of the 88 current constellations (Scutum included) were standardised during the organizations inaugural meeting in 1922 and apparrently haven't been changed ever since.

Celestial nomenclature has long been a controversial topic. At its inaugural meeting in 1922 in Rome, the IAU standardized the constellation names and abbreviations. More recently IAU Committees or Working Groups have certified the names of astronomical objects and features. In the following links you can find further information on how different objects and features are named.

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There is another bottom to this. The question would be who were the astronomers voting in the IAU at that time and what were the geopolitical settings and resentments in Europe after 1918 end of war. Who were the gainers and losers.

Some answers can be found in historical documents of Polskie Towarzystwo Astronomiczne or Centrum Astronomiczne Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu. Happy hunting ;)

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    $\begingroup$ Your answer is imho useful and important, however it would be yet much better, if you would mention more details of these historical documents. $\endgroup$
    – peterh
    Feb 6, 2019 at 9:23

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