Okay, I've heard it again and i have to say even if no one else sees this entry that sci-fi fans without any "sci" knowledge lead pointless and futile lives. Some one decided to bash Star Trek The Next Generation because there is an episode that takes place on a planet named for its binary star Aldebaran. Sound familiar? It sounds very much like Leia's home world. BUT IT'S NOT! Alderaan was Leia's home world in Star Wars. Oooh... let's call out the National Guard and read Roddenberry the riot act. NOT!
Aldebaran is one of the brightest stars in the Milky Way galaxy... a galaxy that, even with Warp capability, is going to take some time to explore. Both Roddenberry and Lucas understand that in order to make a space story meaningful to the audience they have to be able to somehow relate to the locations, even locations that no human has gone before. And thus... some of the more recognisable planet and star names are borrowed for use in story telling. Apparently people willing to argue semantics when it comes to their beloved branch of fandom aren't very willing to put any thought into their criticisms. Alderaan is a real star name. But, it is not used in offical star charts because someone mistranslated the arabic name and created a constellation to suit the interpretation. The true use of the word Alderaan is meant to denote measurement and fits two constellations that each have two cubit measures in significant areas of the formation: Castor and Pollux & Procyon and Gomeisa.
Aldebaran is the eye of the Taurus bull, very close to the constellation of Orion. It is a red dwarf with a 0.87 magnitude. In other words it is the 13th brightest object in the night sky. And has been around long enough to be featured in the Lasceaux cave paintings if one follows Rappengleucks logic. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/871930.stm It is a star that is in its old age. It is easy to find right between Orion and the Pleiades. And according to Bones, it the home of a clam like creature known as the Aldebaran Shell Mouth, as in "He's as tight lipped as an Aldebaran Shell mouth." [amok time, Bones ruffles over Spock's reticence to talk about the pon farr symptoms he is experiencing.]
Also featured in the cave painting is the star at the tail of Cygnus, Deneb. In the Trouble with Tribbles the Klingons compare Captain Kirk to a Denebian slime devil, a forgivable offense since it is mostly likely true. This is done just prior to calling the Enterprise a garbage scow to Mr. Scott's face... not a forgivable offense. Deneb is also easily recognisable as the 19th brightest object in the sky with a 1.25 magnitude making it 60,000x>Sol, our sun.
Rigel, another popular space place name in Trek, I, II, III, IV is the right foot of Orion. Also in Orion is a star known as Betelgeuse, pronounced "Beetle Juice".
Granted, sci-fi is no way to get an education on astronomy, but how can you be a sci-fi geek and not know anything concerning the geek parts?
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