I've been reading An Béal Beo, trying to find information about star names. Most of them I can figure out from the descriptions Ó Máille gave, but he didn't give a description of the one called 'Na mionnáin'. He just mentioned that it was the name of another star. Does anyone have any clue what this might refer to? Also, does anyone know where I might find more traditional names for stars/planets/constellations, etc? I've searched here, and gotten some useful information out of the posts, but most seemed to pull more from focloir and téarma, which often just directly translate the Latin/English unfortunately.

Go raibh míle maith agaí as aon chúnamh,

Actually, there's some more as well:

an taltún. Is mó í ná na réalta eile agus tá dhá réalta innti. An béimidín: réalt chasta í agus teasbáineann sí go leor soluis. Slat an cheannaighe: tagann sí amach ionann 's chomh luath le réalta an trathnóna. Réalta na gceithre bhfeirsead: tá ceithre réalta innti. Is cosmhail gach eann acu le fearsaid. Tá ceithre bharr amach uirthi mar fhearsaid. An chiarsóg: bíonn sé i n-aice an cham-chéachta.


I know slat an cheannaighe likely refers to Orion's belt, but Ó Máille has already mentioned that one, though this piece above was an addendum so it could be two words for it. Not sure what the others could refer to.

So it does refer to the Pleiades? The only reason I assumed it didn't was because Ó Máille gives another word for them right before - an streoillín, and makes it seen as if na mionnáin is different from an streoillín.

I see Foclóir Nua gives 'Slat an Cheannaí' and 'An Fhearsaid' as just two of six names for Orion's Belt, and 'An tSeisreach' as well as 'An Céachta/Camchéachta' for 'The Plough'. (I imagine you've already seen that.)

See this page:

https://islinneamaireach.wordpress.com/ ... 26/realta/

Viz.
"Only two other notes here really need explaining. An streoillín refers to the Pleiades, where it is used as a time marker (i.e. when you see an streollín, it’s time to leave the neighbors house), while apparently another term, an treighdín refers to it as a constellation in and of itself. Na mionnáin refers to the star cluster Hyades."

Here is also a huge discussion on the heavens a few years back. Loads of stuff.

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=3235