[AZ-Observing] Re: Why Is M44 The Beehive?

Gene Lucas wrote, in part:
> On the question of the origin of the name, "Beehive" for M44, I note the
> following entry by Admiral William H. Smyth in his so-called "Bedford
> Catalog", or "A Cycle of Celestial Objects", based on his observations
> during the 1830s, mainly with a 6 inch aperture equatorially mounted
> refractor.  The book originally appeared in 1844 (and was reprinted by
> Willmann-Bell in 1986).  Here are portions of Smyth's article on M44,
> no. CCCXXXI (object no. 331) in his catalog (pp. 200-1, Willmann-Bell
> edition):
> "A very wide double star in the well-known cluster called Praesepe, onon
> the Crab's body, enrolled by Messier on his celebrated List of 103, in
> 1769.  ... The Praesepe, metaphorically rendered Bee-Hive,...[snip]
>
> So Smyth MAY be the source for the name, "Bee Hive".  Most other authors
> translate "Praesepe" as "Manger"; and the two nearby bright stars, gamma
> and delta CAN (or 4 and 5 CAN), are called "The Asses". ...[snip]

Admiral Smyth does seem a legitimate candidate as coiner of, Beehive, as a 
common name for the Praesepe (M44). Smyth's is the earliest usage found, thus 
far. Descriptions by Messier, William and John Herschel 
(http://www.seds.org/messier/Mdes/dm044.html ) do not include, Beehive, as an 
alternate name for the cluster. The name may not have been in use prior to Sir 
William's death in 1822. John Herschel may either have been unaware of the 
name, or held it to be in marginal usage and lacking merit for inclusion in his 
catalog. It would be instructive to know if and when John Herschel ever 
referenced the name, Beehive, in his writings.

A search of the Oxford English Dictionary online 
(http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/00186064 ) turns up the following:
[L. præsæpe enclosure, stall, manger, hive, f. præ, PRE- + sæpre to fence.]
The name of a loose cluster of stars, appearing to the naked eye as a nebula, 
in the constellation Cancer.

Smyth's, "The Praesepe, metaphorically rendered Bee-Hive," does not describe 
the name as in common usage and uses the English translation to legitimize the 
name as an alternate to the Latin. This phrasing appears to also support the 
conclusion that Smyth coined the name, Beehive, at least in publication.

If you visit the above URL and click on the "quotations" link, you'll see the 
following among the listed quotations:
1868 LOCKYER Elem. Astron. i. §71. 29 The Hyades, in the constellation Taurus, 
and the Præsepe or ‘Beehive’, in Cancer.

Lockyer is the earliest reference in OED online. I note the absence of any 
explanation for the name, which may indicate that it was, at least, known to 
the more widely-read astronomers of the day.

It seems to me John Herschel is the key. If there is no reference to the 
Beehive prior to Smyth's 1844 writing, then Smyth may be the best candidate as 
the originator of the name or as the author who sparked its common usage.

Regards,

Bill Ferris
Flagstaff
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