Astronomy Question: Memory and Star Catalogue Numbers

[dewline]

Which would you say is going to be easier to remember for a layperson? An SAO catalogue number or "BD ##º #####"?

I'm betting on the SAO number over the Bonner Durchmusterung.

Yes, this is for the Edge of Midnight base map project.

Comments

[pilottttt]

It's best to use proper names, but if there is no one, then probably CAO

[pauamma]

Clarification request: do you mean remember one in isolation, or remember one and the mapping between it and a name?

[dewline]

Apologies for lack of clarification.

Any name I'm likely to apply to a given star is going to be Trek-specific, and in the absence of already-existing names for said star in our own records...if that star only has catalogue numbers to go by, including BD(Bonner Durchmusterung) and SAO(Smithsonian Astronomical Observatory) numbers, I was wondering which of those catalogue numbers a layperson would be more likely to be able to keep track of.

[pauamma]

Thanks. Then in my case, probably the one I was exposed to first. Not guaranteed to be consistent between different stars.

[dewline]

Definitely guaranteed to have no consistency.