In your July 2020 issue, “Stellar neighbors close-up” shows many stars with the name Gliese. What or who is Gliese?
Patrick Clough
Patrick Clough
Wichita, Kansas
Wilhelm Gliese was a German astronomer who published his Catalogue of Nearby Stars in 1957. Today, some stars are still referred to by the number Gliese gave them, such as Gliese 380 and Gliese 710.
The history of cataloging and naming stars is a long one. Even before written history, civilizations around the world were giving the brig