latinized bayer designation
- Kochab (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
KOCHAB (Beta Ursae Minoris). Kochab, an obscure Arabic name that might simply mean “star,” is just barely the second brightest and thus appropriately the Beta star in Ursa Minor, the Smaller Bear, and represents the top front bowl star of the Little Dipper.
- Miaplacidus (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MIAPLACIDUS (Beta Carinae). In spite of intense study, some stars refuse to yield their true characters. Here is the opposite, one that seems to be about as completely understood as reasonably possible. One of the few stars of the far southern hemisphere to carry a proper name, Miaplacidus – Beta Carinae in Carina, the Keel of the Ship Argo – is also one of the brightest of the sky.
