Thanks for your inquiry. Before I answer, I want to make sure I understand your question. Do you mean, for example, why do we use the names omicron Cet, rho Cas, or delta Cep? If that is what you mean, what "more common catalog" names are you thinking of?
Generally I think because those Bayer stars were found to be variable before the Argelander system of capital letters came into common use. Even among professional astronomers these names are likely to be used, such as delta Cep, chi Cyg and so on. Yes, we could refer to (say) Vega as SAO67174, but these would be no point, as we would all have to go and look in the SAO catalogue for no.67174 only to find it was Vega! Stars, whether variable or not, that have existing designations, are usually referred to by those designations (unless there is some clear reason not to)
Hi Ned,
Thanks for your inquiry. Before I answer, I want to make sure I understand your question. Do you mean, for example, why do we use the names omicron Cet, rho Cas, or delta Cep? If that is what you mean, what "more common catalog" names are you thinking of?
thanks and good observing,
Elizabeth Waagen, AAVSO HQ
Generally I think because those Bayer stars were found to be variable before the Argelander system of capital letters came into common use. Even among professional astronomers these names are likely to be used, such as delta Cep, chi Cyg and so on. Yes, we could refer to (say) Vega as SAO67174, but these would be no point, as we would all have to go and look in the SAO catalogue for no.67174 only to find it was Vega! Stars, whether variable or not, that have existing designations, are usually referred to by those designations (unless there is some clear reason not to)