- Acamar (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ACAMAR (Theta Eridani). Eridanus, the River, the embodiment of the Greek’s “River Ocean,” unlike real rivers has two ends. It now terminates in the brilliant first magnitude star Achernar (Alpha Eridani), the name from an Arabic phrase that means “the end of the river.” But Achernar is too far south to be visible from Greece. The original end of the river was the star we still call Acamar, which derives from the same phrase and means the same thing.
- Achernar (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ACHERNAR (Alpha Eridani). There are 22 classical “first magnitude” stars in the sky. Of these, nine are so bright that in modern times they had to be placed into even brighter categories, seven into “zeroth” magnitude (the brightest of which is Alpha Centauri) and two (Canopus and Sirius) into the exclusive “minus-first magnitude” group. Of these nine, Achernar ranks last, right behind Procyon in Canis Minor and just beating out Hadar in southern Centaurus.
- Acrux (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ACRUX (Alpha Crucis). Among the most famous constellations in the sky is a “modern” one that is quite invisible from most of the populated northern hemisphere: Crux, the Southern Cross.
- Acubens (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ACUBENS (Alpha Cancri). Though Bayer’s Alpha star, Acubens, at faint fourth magnitude (4.25), ranks only fourth in the constellation Cancer, after Beta (Al Tarf), Delta (Asellus Australis), even Iota, probably because of its position as a southern claw of the celestial crab.
- Adhafera (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ADHAFERA (Zeta Leonis). The Sickle of Leo is known for the bright star Regulus and the famous double Algieba. Just above Algieba, you can admire a fainter star, third magnitude (but just barely so, 3.44) Adhafera.
- Adhara (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ADHARA (Epsilon Canis Majoris). The names of all the first magnitude stars ring clearly to us; even the names of those in the southern hemisphere are well known. Adhara has escaped the fame it deserves.
- Al Nair (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
AL NAIR (Alpha Gruis). Directly south of Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish, is the modern constellation Grus, the Crane. Unlike the bright ancient constellations, the “moderns” were invented between around 1600 and 1800 either to name the figures of the deep southern sky that could not be seen from northern classical lands or to fill in the blanks among the brighter northern groups.
- Al Tarf (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
AL TARF (Beta Cancri). Surely, if Cancer (the Crab) were anywhere but on the ecliptic, the apparent pathway of the Sun, it never would have been made into a constellation by the ancients. Its brightest star, Al Tarf, is fourth magnitude, though in its favor (at 3.59) it is just over the line from third.
- Albireo (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALBIREO (Beta Cygni). One of the great small-telescope showpieces of the sky, Albireo, the third-magnitude (3.0) Beta star of Cygnus, the Swan, is a magnificent visual double whose components (magnitudes 3.3 and 5.5) have contrasting golden and blue colors.
- Alchiba (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALCHIBA (Alpha Corvi). It is standard “knowledge” in astronomy that “Alpha” represents the brightest star in a constellation, “Beta” the second brightest, and so on. While such is often true, the rule is as much broken as held to, sometimes dramatically. Alchiba, the Alpha star of Corvus, the Crow, is a fine example.
- Alcor (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALCOR (80 Ursae Majoris). Alcor, forever tied to Mizar, is hardly ever spoken of unless as “Mizar and Alcor,” a naked eye double in the tail of Ursa Major that are 11.8 minutes of arc apart and that the Arabs referred to as the “horse and rider.”
- Aldebaran (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALDEBARAN (Alpha Tauri). Aldebaran is by far the brightest, and therefore the Alpha, star of the constellation Taurus.
- Alderamin (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALDERAMIN (Alpha Cephei). Though Cepheus (the King) is famed in mythology as father to Andromeda, it is far from being one of the sky’s more prominent ancient constellations, its brightest star, Alderamin, just barely second magnitude (2.44).
- Alfirk (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALFIRK (Beta Cephei). In mythology, Cepheus (the King) pales beside Cassiopeia (the Queen), who is central to the story of Andromeda and Perseus. And so does his constellation, which is the faintest of those of the myth. Yet dim Cepheus is not without glory.
- Algedi (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALGEDI (Alpha Capricorni). Though only the third brightest star in the constellation Capricornus, the “Water Goat,” Algedi is still the Alpha star, most likely because of its western-most position within the classical figure.
- Algenib (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALGENIB (Gamma Pegasi). Though the brightest star of Pegasus is Enif, the Epsilon star, the stars of the Great Square are of such obvious note that Bayer gave them Alpha through Delta. Delta (Alpheratz), the brightest, actually belongs to Andromeda as Alpha Andromedae, leaving Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Pegasi (Markab, Scheat, and Algenib) ranking 3-2-4 in the constellation and 2-1-3 in the Square, Algenib the faintest of them.
- Algieba (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALGIEBA (Gamma Leonis), a double giant with a planet. Double stars dot the sky.
- Algol (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALGOL (Beta Persei). Surely one of the most remarkable stars of the sky and appropriately one of the most famed, Algol is the second magnitude Beta star of Perseus, the great mythological hero who rescued Andromeda from Cetus the Sea Monster.
- Alhena (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALHENA (Gamma Geminorum). A great many stars were named by the Arabs according to their positions within the Greek constellations. An equal number, however, have to do with their own culture, our star, Alhena, alluding to a “brand,” the “mark on the camel’s neck.”
- Alioth (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALIOTH (Epsilon Ursae Majoris). The graceful curve of handle of the Big Dipper (the Plough in Great Britain), among the most famed of celestial sights, represents the tail of Ursa Major, the Greater Bear. Third star in from the end, “Alioth” relates not to a bear, but to a “black horse,” the name corrupted from the original and misassigned to the naked-eye companion of Mizar, which took on the vaguely similar name “Alcor.”
- Alkaid (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALKAID (Eta Ursae Majoris). Though the name may not be so well known as those of the first magnitude stars, the star itself certainly is, as Alkaid is the end star in the handle of the Big Dipper, the great asterism that makes most of the grand constellation of Ursa Major, the Greater Bear.
- Alkalurops (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALKALUROPS (Mu Bootis). The naming of stars sometimes seems random. Some bright stars within a constellation will carry no proper names, while other much fainter ones do (the classic case that of Gamma Cassiopeiae). In Bootes, the Herdsman, the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma stars carry the proper names Arcturus, Nekkar, and Seginus. Third magnitude Delta has none, but then we can reach all the way to fourth magnitude (4.31) Mu Bootis, which is called by the jaw-breaking name Alkalurops.
- Almach (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALMACH (Gamma Andromedae). You take your new telescope to the back yard perhaps wondering what to examine. When finished with the Moon and the bright planets you turn to the stars, first perhaps to the grand Orion Nebula, next maybe to the magnificent Andromeda Galaxy. Then it is time for double stars. The sky abounds with them, northern winter’s Castor, springtime’s Mizar and Alcor, summer’s Albireo (the seasons reversed for the southern hemisphere), dozens of others easily found. Among the best of all, however, is the last star of the string of bright beauties that helps make the constellation Andromeda, second magnitude (2.16) Almach, Andromeda’s Gamma star.
- Alnilam (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALNILAM (Epsilon Orionis). Three brilliant stars mark the belt of Orion the Hunter, from right to left (west to east) Mintaka, Alnilam, and Alnitak.
- Alnitak (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALNITAK (Zeta Orionis). With brilliant Betelgeuse and Rigel dominating great Orion, we pay little heed to the individual stars of the Hunter’s belt except as a group, the trio the Arabs called the “string of pearls.” All second magnitude, Johannes Bayer seems to have named the stars Delta, Epsilon, and Zeta from right to left.
- Alphard (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALPHARD (Alpha Hydrae). Not all that well known among bright stars, but surprisingly prominent, Alphard both dominates and lies at the heart of the relatively dim constellation Hydra, the Water Serpent (the longest constellation of the sky), hence clearly deserves to be Bayer’s Alpha star.
- Alphecca (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALPHECCA or GEMMA (Alpha Coronae Borealis). One of the very few stars with two commonly used names, Alphecca is the dominant (mid- second magnitude, 2.23) Alpha star of the delightful constellation Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, a semicircle of stars to the east of Arcturus that truly reminds the viewer of a heavenly crown, the constellation representing the crown of Ariadne.
- Alpheratz (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALPHERATZ (Alpha Andromedae). Andromeda runs like a string of pearls to the northeast of the Great Square of Pegasus. Since its three principal stars have almost the same brightness, Beyer simply lettered them Alpha, Beta, and Gamma in order, Alpha and Beta tied for the lead in apparent magnitude. Mid-second magnitude (2.06) Alpheratz, the Alpha star, connects Andromeda (the Lady) with Pegasus, the Flying Horse that carried Perseus to Andromeda’s rescue.
- Altair (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALTAIR (Alpha Aquilae). First magnitude (0.77) Altair, the 12th brightest star in the sky and the Alpha star of Aquila the Eagle, is also the southern anchor of the famed Summer Triangle, which it makes with Vega and Deneb.
- Alula Australis (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALULA AUSTRALIS (Xi Ursae Majoris). Ursa Major walks on legs identified by three pairs of close but unrelated stars that the ancient Arabs called the “springs (leaps) of the gazelle” that lie north of Leo Minor. From west to east they are Talitha and Kappa UMa, Tania Borealis and Australis, and Alula Borealis and Australis, the last a bright-end-fourth magnitude (3.78) star better known as Xi UMa.
- Alula Borealis (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALULA BOREALIS (Nu Ursae Majoris). Leaping across the sky south of Ursa Major’s Big Dipper bounds the Arabic gazelle, marked by three unrelated pairs of stars, the First-Leap Alulas (Borealis and Australis, respectively Nu and Xi), the Second Leap Tanias (Borealis and Australis, Lambda and Mu), and the Third Leap made of Talitha (to the north) and Kappa (to the south).
- Ankaa (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
Well into the southern hemisphere lies the modern constellation Phoenix, the mythical Phoenix or Firebird, named by southern hemisphere explorers and first noted in Bayer’s Uranometria. The name of the bright second magnitude (2.39) luminary derives from a late application of the Arabic for the marvelous bird.
- Antares (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ANTARES (Alpha Scorpii). A brilliant jewel set within the Milky Way, Antares guides us to one of the great constellations of the sky, the Zodiac’s Scorpius (or Scorpio), the celestial scorpion, one of the few constellations that actually looks like what it represents.
- Arcturus (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ARCTURUS (Alpha Bootis). Among the very brightest of stars, shining with a soft orange light, Arcturus lights northern spring skies.
- Asellus Australis (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ASELLUS AUSTRALIS (Delta Cancri). After the Pleiades and Hyades of Taurus, the Beehive cluster (Messier 44) of Cancer takes its place as one of the more prominent open clusters of the northern sky. The cluster is equally well-known as the Praesepe, or “manger,” and as such it is flanked by a pair of asses, donkeys, or “Aselli.” The northern one, Gamma Cancri, to the northeast of the Beehive, then takes on the name Asellus Borealis, the brighter fourth magnitude (3.94) southeastern one of the unrelated pair the name Asellus Australis.
- Asellus Borealis (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ASELLUS BOREALIS (Gamma Cancri). The lore of the sky is not monolithic, but cuts amazingly across time and cultures. There is no single set of stories, as witness Cancer, the Crab, one of the dimmer figures of the Zodiac that is sandwiched between Gemini and Leo.
- Aspidiske (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ASPIDISKE (Iota Carinae). Most stars have no proper name; even some bright ones lack them. How they would envy this one, with not one, but THREE, from each of the classic stellar languages. “Aspidiske” (the Greek Iota star in Carina, the Keel of the ship Argo) comes from the Greek, and means “little shield” (referring to a decoration, not a defensive weapon).
- Atria (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ATRIA (Alpha Trianguli Australis). Among the easiest constellations to invent are simple triangles. There are two of them, one north (Triangulum) and one far south (Triangulum Australe). Of the two, the latter is the larger and brighter, its Alpha star (from which we get the modern proper name, “Atria”) a nice bright second magnitude (1.92), ranking 41st.
- Baten Kaitos (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
BATEN KAITOS (Zeta Ceti). Four named stars define the main figure of Cetus, the Sea Monster, or Whale: Menkar in his head, the great variable Mira in his neck, Deneb Kaitos, which marks his tail, and Baten Kaitos, which links the long neck to the body.
- Beid (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
BEID (Omicron-1 Eridani). In the middle of the first southerly turning of Eridanus (the River) lie a seeming pair of fourth magnitude stars, Beid and Keid, which Bayer placed far down in the Greek alphabet as Omicron-1 and Omicron-2.
- Bellatrix (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
BELLATRIX (Gamma Orionis). If constellations could talk, they might well shout “unfair” at great Orion, the Hunter, one of only four constellations to have two first magnitude stars (the others Crux, the Southern Cross, Centaurus, the Centaur, and Canis Major, Orion’s Hunting Dog).
- Beta Doradus (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
BETA DOR (Beta Doradus). Among the most important of all stars are the Cepheid variables, named after the prototype, Delta Cephei. Many of them dot the naked- eye starry sky, their number including Eta Aquilae, Zeta Geminorum (Mekbuda), even Polaris, the brightest of them (though Polaris’s variations are too small to be witnessed by eye). Here is another bright one, fourth magnitude (averaging 3.76) Beta Doradus, the second brightest star (after Alpha) in the modern southern constellation Dorado, the Swordfish.
- Beta Pictoris (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
BETA PIC (Beta Pictoris). Magnificent stars can come in obscure constellations, a fine case in point the Beta star of the small constellation of Pictor, the Easel, which lies just to the west of Canopus in Carina, the Keel of Argo.
- Beta Trianguli Australis (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
BETA TRA (Beta Trianguli Australis). While not a dramatic star, third magnitude (2.85) Beta TrA, the number two star of Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle, is still so bright – well in the top 150 – that it surely deserves recognition, especially since TrA itself is a nice, bright constellation.
- Betelgeuse (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
BETELGEUSE (Alpha Orionis). The great star Betelgeuse is one of the two that dominate mighty Orion of northern winter, the other Rigel, the pair respectively also called Alpha and Beta Orionis.
- Canopus (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
CANOPUS (Alpha Carinae). As northerners drive south on winter vacations, if they are familiar with the sky they encounter something of a surprise. Just below the sky’s brightest star, Canis Major’s Sirius, is the SECOND brightest star, Canopus, 30 degrees and almost exactly south of Mirzam, one of Sirius’s announcing star.
- Capella (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
CAPELLA (Alpha Aurigae). In early mid-northern winter evenings, Capella shines almost directly overhead, and is one of the three bright stars spread around the northern sky, the others Arcturus of spring and Vega of summer.
- Caph (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
CAPH (Beta Cassiopeiae). At mid second magnitude (2.27) and just barely the second brightest star in Cassiopeia, almost but not quite as bright as Shedar (the Alpha star), Caph, the Beta star, stole its name from the whole “W” of the constellation.
- Castor (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
CASTOR (Alpha Geminorum). In classical mythology, Castor is the mortal twin of Pollux, the twin warriors whose stars dominate the bright zodiacal constellation of Gemini.
- Cebalrai (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
CEBALRAI (Beta Ophiuchi). At the northern tip of Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, lies Rasalhague, the bright Alpha star. Helping to form the huge rough pentagon that makes the classic figure is Cebalrai, at the pentagon’s northeastern corner, its position and bright third magnitude status (2.77) causing Bayer to call it “Beta.”
- Chara (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
CHARA (Beta Canum Venaticorum). A lovely name for a northern star that vaults the heavens in northern spring, “Chara” from Greek meaning “joy.”
- Cor Caroli (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
COR CAROLI (Alpha Canum Venaticorum). Third magnitude (2.81, nearly second) and easy to find, the star’s importance is consistent with its brightness.
- Delta Cephei (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
DELTA CEP (Delta Cephei). Surely among the most famed of all stars, fourth magnitude (4.1 or thereabouts) Delta Cephei, set at the southeastern corner of dim Cepheus (the King), does not even have a proper name. It is, however, the only star that has given its constellation name over to represent a whole class of stars, the “Cepheids.”
- Delta Crucis (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
DELTA CRU (Delta Crucis). Overwhelmed by its neighbors in Crux, one of the most famous constellations of the sky, and fourth brightest in the 4-star pattern, Delta Crucis is the only one with no proper name (though given that Alpha Crucis is called “Acrux” and Gamma Crucis “Gacrux,” no one would likely object to “Delcrux.”)
- Delta Persei (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
DELTA PER (Delta Persei). Dominated as it is by its two brightest stars, Mirfak and Algol (Alpha and Beta Persei), the next four stars of glorious Perseus, the mythical rescuer of Andromeda, are often ignored. This quartet, which consists of Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Zeta, are all nearly the same mid-third magnitude brightness, and add great sparkle to the northern constellation.
- Delta Scuti (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
Modest Delta Scuti (in Scutum, the Shield), shining only at 5th magnitude (4.71) in a relatively obscure modern constellation best known for its placement in the Milky Way, stands out as the prototype of one of these, the pulsating “Delta Scuti stars,” of which Caph in Cassiopeia is the brightest.
- Deneb (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
DENEB (Alpha Cygni). One of the truly great stars of our Galaxy, a class A (A2) supergiant, Deneb serves a three-fold role among the constellations.
- Deneb Kaitos (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
DENEB KAITOS (Beta Ceti). Though the Beta star of the constellation Cetus, the “Whale” or “Sea Monster,” Deneb Kaitos is – at mid-second-magnitude – (2.04) – notably the brightest of a fairly hard-to-find figure.
- Denebola (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
DENEBOLA (Beta Leonis). Great Leo, who seems to rule northern spring skies, contains three stars of major note: bright Regulus, second magnitude Algieba (which shares the “Sickle” with Regulus), and mid-second magnitude (2.14) Denebola, the 62nd brightest star in the sky.
- Dubhe (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
DUBHE (Alpha Ursae Majoris). Almost first magnitude, shining for us at the front of the bowl of the Big Dipper in Ursa Major, the Great Bear, Dubhe (the “h” silent, the final “e” pronounced almost any way you wish) leads the Dipper in its northeasterly climb above the horizon.
- Edasich (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
Edasich (Iota Draconis) is but one of two planet-hosting stars that have proper names, the other Errai (Gamma Cephei).
- Elnath (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ELNATH (Beta Tauri). Equally well called El Nath, Elnath lies at the tip of the great northern horn of Taurus, the Bull.
- Eltanin (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ELTANIN (Gamma Draconis). Because it was the pole star during a time of ancient Egypt, Thuban is the most famed star of Draco, the Dragon, and justly received Bayer’s Alpha designation even though at bright fourth magnitude it is hardly the constellation’s brightest star.
- Enif (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ENIF (Epsilon Pegasi). Though given only the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet by Bayer, Enif, at mid second magnitude (2.39), is still the brightest star in the constellation Pegasus.
- Epsilon Crucis (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
EPS CRU (Epsilon Crucis). Here is one of the most viewed of all stars, while at the same time being one of the most obscure. How can that be? At fourth magnitude (3.59, just fainter than third), Epsilon Crucis has a prominent place as the “fifth star” of one of the most famed of all constellations, Crux, the Southern Cross, lying almost on a line between brighter Delta Crucis (the Cross’s most northerly star) and first magnitude Acrux (Alpha Crucis).
- Epsilon Eridani (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
Epsilon Eridani is the closest star known to have a planet: and maybe two of them. It is the only system that has both precise Doppler data and long-baseline astrometric positional observations, which combined yield the orbital tilt and the true planetary mass. Given its closeness and the knowledge of where it is relative to its star, the planet may become the first ever actually imaged.
- Epsilon Scorpii (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
EPSILON SCO (Epsilon Scorpii). Though bright, second magnitude (2.29), in most other constellations Epsilon Sco would have a prominent place and probably a proper name. Here, in one of the grandest patterns of the sky, Scorpius, it has neither.
- Errai (Gamma Cephei) (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
Errai (Gamma Cephei) is the among the visually brightest stars to host a planet, and also has a low mass companion with a relatively small orbit.
- Eta Aquilae (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ETA AQL (Eta Aquilae). Lying almost exactly one degree north of the celestial equator, this quite- wonderful mid-fourth magnitude (nominally 3.90) star in Aquila (the Eagle) glides across the sky just 8 degrees to the south of much brighter first magnitude Altair.
- Fomalhaut (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
FOMALHAUT (Alpha Piscis Austrinus). This wonderful first magnitude (1.16, ranking 18th) star of northern-hemisphere autumn, usually pronounced “fo-ma-low,” slides slowly in lonely grandeur above the southern horizon (as seen from the north) during the months of October and November.
- Gacrux (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
GACRUX (Gamma Crucis). In our “western” star lore, the stars with proper names come from the set that could be seen from the lands of the ancient middle east and Arabia, and do not include those of the far southern hemisphere, which is largely invisible below the horizon from northern lands. Yet those who needed the stars to find their way, the old navigators, also needed quick names for some of the stars and just made them up. “Gacrux” is a prime example of such a star, its name deriving strictly from its Greek letter name, Gamma Crucis, the third-brightest star in the constellation Crux, the Southern Cross.
- Gamma Hydrae (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
Skipping over obscure (at least in brightness) fourth magnitude Beta Hydrae (the southernmost of Hydra’s outlining stars), exact third magnitude Gamma Hydrae (3.00) comes in at number two, just beating out a host of slightly lesser stars (such as Nu, Zeta, Pi, and Epsilon).
- Gamma Persei (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
GAMMA PER (Gamma Persei). The naming of stars at times seems to have little to do with their brightnesses. All the first magnitude stars, and most of the second magnitude visible from classical lands, have names (an outstanding exception being Gamma Cassiopeiae), but from there on the naming is erratic.
- Gamma Trianguli Australis (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
GAMMA TRA (Gamma Trianguli Australis). If this star were not so bright – within the top 150 stars – it would probably be ignored. But at mid-third magnitude (2.89), it just barely makes the list at number 149, and thus earns some measure of respect, which it deserves if for no other reason than that it anchors the southwest apex of bright and obvious Triangulum Australe (the Southern Triangle), which is dominated by mid-second magnitude Atria.
- Giausar (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
- Girtab (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
GIRTAB (Theta Scorpii). Girtab, Bayer’s Theta star within Scorpius, the celestial scorpion, stands out in almost any way you can look at it. The name alone is unusual, in that it comes to us from Sumerian rather than Arabic or Greek, and means simply “the scorpion.”
- Graffias (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
GRAFFIAS (Beta Scorpii). Graffias, in the head of the celestial Scorpion and Scorpius’s Beta star, has at least two names and many more components.
- Hamal (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
HAMAL (Alpha Arietis). Climbing the eastern sky in northern Autumn, Aries presents a small flat triangle below Andromeda dominated by mid-second-magnitude (2.00) Hamal.
- Homam (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
HOMAM (Zeta Pegasi). The name really belongs to a pair of stars, Zeta and Xi Pegasi (in Pegasus, the Flying Horse), which together to the ancient Arabs became known (translated from an obscure phrase) as the “lucky stars of the hero,” presumably of the hero Perseus. The name then devolved specifically to third magnitude (3.40) Zeta Pegasi, leaving poor fourth magnitude Xi Peg (which lies just to the northeast of Zeta) nameless.
- Iota-1 Scorpii (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
IOTA-1 SCO (Iota-1 Scorpii). Supergiants are rare, and to find two of them within a quarter-degree of each other is rarer still. To find two forms of supergiants that for the class are rare in themselves draws the eye, or at least should. Nevertheless, these two magnificent stars, which have no proper names and are known as Iota-1 (the western and brighter) and Iota-2 Scorpii, are quite neglected, perhaps by contrast to Scorpius’s brighter magnificent stars, which include one of the most prominent of all supergiants, Antares.
- Izar (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
IZAR (Epsilon Boo). Arcturus climbs the eastern sky in northern spring evenings, the kite-shaped figure of Bootes, the Herdsman, to the left. Centered in the eastern edge of the figure lies the constellation’s second brightest star, Izar (short or long “I”).
- Kappa Scorpii (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
KAPPA SCO (Kappa Scorpii). The curves of stars that make the body of Scorpius, the Scorpion, is one of the most dramatic and recognizable figures of the nightly sky. At the southeastern end, just short of the two-star “stinger” (made of Shaula and Lesath) lies bright, second magnitude (2.41) Kappa Scorpii, which if in most other constellations would bear a proper name, but here tends to be lost among the host of other bright stars.
- Kaus Australis (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
KAUS AUSTRALIS (Epsilon Sagittarii). Sagittarius, the Archer, holds a bow and arrow, three stars making the bow, one the arrow’s point, the southern one Kaus Australis.
- Kaus Borealis (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
KAUS BOREALIS (Lambda Sagittarii). Occupying a key position within the constellation Sagittarius, Kaus Borealis makes the northern tip of the Archer’s bow, the hybrid name meaning just that, the “northern (Borealis from Latin) bow (kaus, from Arabic).
- Kaus Media (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
At the bow’s northern end lies Kaus Borealis, at the southern Kaus Australis, and in the middle and marking the eastern end of the arrow Kaus Media, the names an odd mixture of languages, Kaus coming from an Arabic word meaning “bow,” while the other three words respectively mean, from Latin, “northern,” “southern,” and “middle.”
- Keid (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
KEID (Omicron-2 Eridani, or 40 Eridani). An unassuming star, Keid (Omicron-2) of Eridanus (and more commonly known by its Flamsteed number, 40 Eridani) seems to play second fiddle to its somewhat brighter neighbor Beid, Keid the Arabic “egg shells” of Beid, “the eggs.”
- Kitalpha (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
KITALPHA (Alpha Equulei). Most ancient constellations dominate their parts of the sky. A few, however, are remarkably obscure and hard to find, among them Equuleus, the Little Horse, its brightest star (Kitalpha) only mid-fourth magnitude (3.92).
- 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.
- Lesath (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
LESATH (Upsilon Scorpii). Lesath, Scorpius’s Upsilon star, is intimately related in the observer’s eye to Shaula (Lambda Scorpii), the two making the Scorpion’s famed, and very real-looking, stinger.
- Marfik (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MARFIK (Lambda Ophiuchi). Double stars are among the prettiest sights the sky has to offer. The best ones, like Albireo and many others, display striking color contrasts that are enhanced by visual proximity effects. But even the white “colorless” ones are attractive, especially if the two members are close together. Those of Marfik (the “elbow” of Ophiuchus), or Lambda Ophiuchi, are so close that they are, however, difficult to separate at the telescope, averaging just a second of arc – a 3600th of a degree – apart.
- Markab (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MARKAB (Alpha Pegasi). Markab epitomizes what seems almost to be a celestial joke, a comic opera of sorts in which stars scramble their names and appear as different characters on the sky’s stage.
- Mebsuta (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MEBSUTA (Epsilon Geminorum). The name, strikingly similar to and easily confused with Mekbuda (the Zeta star of Gemini), “Mebsuta,” also in Gemini, has a similar origin.
- Megrez (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MEGREZ (Delta Ursae Majoris). The faintest star of the Big Dipper, Megrez is in the Dipper’s middle, linking the handle to the bowl, and in the bigger picture linking Ursa Major’s tail to the Bear’s hindquarters. The name appropriately refers not to the Dipper, but to the Bear, and straightforwardly comes from a long Arabic phrase that means the root of the Great Bear’s tail.
- Meissa (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MEISSA (Lambda Orionis). One of the fainter stars to carry a proper name, Meissa is the Lambda star of Orion.
- Mekbuda (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MEKBUDA (Zeta Geminorum). More widely known as the Zeta star in Gemini (Zeta Geminorum), the Arabic name Mekbuda refers to “lion’s paw,” a larger Arabic figure that overlaid our constellations, and at one time may have more referred to one of Gemini’s luminaries Castor or Pollux.
- Menkalinan (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MENKALINAN (Beta Aurigae). Beautifully shaped Auriga, the Charioteer, rides high in northern winter skies, dominated by brilliant Capella at the northwestern corner of the prominent pentagon that makes the figure. Almost immediately to the east lies a mid-second magnitude star, Menkalinan (Men-KAL-in-an), at the northeast corner, the Arabic name meaning “the shoulder of the rein-holder.”
- Menkar (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MENKAR (Alpha Ceti). Cetus, the Sea Monster (or Whale), appears to move backwards across the sky, his tail (illuminated by Deneb Kaitos) rising first, Menkar, at the leading (eastern) edge of his head, rising last.
- Menkent (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MENKENT (Theta Centauri). Centaurus is dominated by its two brightest stars, Rigil Kentaurus (Alpha Centauri, third brightest star in the sky and the nearest star to the Earth) and first magnitude Hadar (Beta Centauri). Though these two shine brilliantly to the lucky residents of the southern hemisphere, neither is visible from mid-northern latitudes, so if those that live there wish to know Centaurus, they must begin with the third brightest star in the constellation, Menkent, to which is assigned the rather lowly letter Greek letter Theta (Gamma Centauri rather oddly coming in second).
- Menkib (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
Perseus (the Hero) may be the champion not only of Andromeda but also of unnamed stars as well. The top two, Mirfak (Alpha) and Algol (Beta) have proper names, and then the list stops until we arrive at number 10, a fourth magnitude star called “Atik” and Bayer’s “Omicron” star. Fainter yet is number 12 in brightness, mid-fourth magnitude Menkib (Bayer’s “Xi”).
- Merak (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MERAK (Beta Ursae Majoris). High in the sky in northern spring evenings, just climbing above the northern horizon in southern hemisphere autumn, the Big Dipper – the “plough” in England – is among the most recognized and recognizable of figures, one of the first learned in a quest to know the constellations.
- Mesarthim (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MESARTHIM (Gamma Arietis). Shining third among the stars of the flat triangle that make the classical figure of Aries, the Ram (for that reason gaining the Gamma designation), Mesarthim actually takes fourth place in the constellation after non-named 41 Arietis, which glows softly off to the northeast.
- 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.
- Mimosa (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MIMOSA (Beta Crucis). Few are the first magnitude stars, as their apparent brightness requires either great luminosity, closeness, or both. Mimosa satisfies the first requirement.
- Mintaka (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MINTAKA (Delta Orionis). Orion is defined by his great belt, three bright second magnitude stars in a row that the ancient Arabs called “the string of pearls,” which is the meaning of the name of the middle star, Alnilam. The two flanking stars, eastern Alnitak and western Mintaka, both come from Arabic phrases that mean “the belt of the Central One,” the Central One the Arabic personification of our Orion, a woman lost to history.
- Mira (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MIRA (Omicron Ceti). Mira, its very name telling us that we should take strong notice, Mira “the amazing one,” the word coming from the same root as “miracle,” Mira the only proper-named star in the sky that for a time is too faint to be seen with the naked eye.
- Mirach (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MIRACH (Beta Andromedae). Andromeda’s three brightest stars, Alpheratz, Mirach, and Almach, lie along a graceful curve that extends to the northeast of the Great Square of Pegasus (Alpheratz part of the Square itself).
- Mirfak (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MIRFAK (Alpha Persei). Perseus, the ancient hero who rescued Andromeda, climbs the northeastern sky in northern autumn evenings, bright Mirfak marking his side amidst a lovely stream of stars that lies within the northern-hemisphere autumn Milky Way.
- Mirzam (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MIRZAM (Beta Canis Majoris). Commonly also seen spelled “Murzim,” Mirzam is the Beta star of Canis Major, the Larger Dog, the greater of Orion’s canine companions.
- Mizar (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MIZAR (Zeta Ursae Majoris). One of the most famed stars of the sky, second magnitude (2.06) Mizar, 78 light years away, is the Zeta star of Ursa Major, the Greater Bear, the second star in from the end of the handle of the Big Dipper, and the Dipper’s fourth brightest star.
- Mu-1 Scorpii (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MU-1 SCO (Mu-1 Scorpii). In the crowded Milky Way the stars can fool you. In middle of the curve of Scorpius, the Scorpion, are two apparent naked-eye double stars, Zeta Sco and Mu Sco, both of which are made just of line-of-sight coincidences. The real fooler is Mu.
- Muliphein (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MULIPHEIN (Gamma Canis Majoris). The names Wezen and Hadar (in Arabic form) were once applied to a pair of stars. Though there are candidates, no one knows which pair. The uncertainty was in older times expressed as an Arabic word that in part referred to a pair of things that caused contention. The word itself was then taken as the pair, much mangled to Muliphein (sometimes seen as Muliphen), and then for no good reason given to the little star that Bayer later tagged as Gamma of Canis Major (while Wezen was given to our modern Delta, and Hadar to modern Beta Centauri).
- Muscida (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MUSCIDA (Omicron Ursae Majoris). While not part of Ursa Major’s “Dipper,” Muscida holds a special place as the Great Bear’s snout, the star that leads the beast around the north celestial pole.
- Na’ir al Saif (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
NA’IR AL SAIF (Iota Orionis). Dangling from Orion’s Belt is the Hunter’s mighty three- star sword, the trio increasing in brightness toward the south.
- Nashira (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
NASHIRA (Gamma Capricorni). Though Capricornus is a relatively faint constellation, its stars are arranged to make a rather prominent figure.
- Phecda (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
PHECDA (Gamma Ursae Majoris). Few figures in the sky move us more than the Big Dipper, its seven bright stars laid out in a long bent row that the British call the Plough. All but one of its stars are second magnitude, though Phecda, the third one in from the end of the bowl, and southernmost of the bowl stars, is just on the edge of third (2.44).
- Polaris (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
POLARIS (Alpha Ursae Minoris). Not seasonal, always there in the northern nighttime sky, Polaris, the North Star, marks the North Celestial Pole.
- Pollux (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
POLLUX (Beta Geminorum). Star with planet. In northern spring evenings, the “twin” stars Castor and Pollux of the constellation Gemini descend the northwestern sky looking like a pair of eyes staring down at the Earth.
- Porrima (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
PORRIMA (Gamma Virginis). Follow the curve of the handle of the Big Dipper to the south as it first passes through orange Arcturus and then south of the sky’s equator through blue- white Spica. Just up and to the right of Spica lies dimmer, third magnitude Porrima, Virgo’s Gamma star (or Gamma Virginis).
- Procyon (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
PROCYON (Alpha Canis Minoris). The eastern anchor of the Winter Triangle, Procyon is the luminary of Canis Minor, the smaller dog, and at magnitude zero (0.34) is the sky’s eighth brightest star.
- Propus (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
PROPUS (Eta Geminorum). Gemini, the Twins, represented by Castor (Alpha Geminorum) and Pollux (Beta Gem) at its northern end, is anchored at the bottom by Alhena (Gamma) and at the southwest corner by a pair of similar stars, Tejat (Mu Gem) and our Propus, to which Bayer assigned the Greek letter Eta.
- Rasalhague (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
RASALHAGUE (Alpha Ophiuchi). Not far from a star with a similar sounding name, Rasalgethi in Hercules, second magnitude (2.08) Rasalhague is the luminary of the relatively dim but very large and intriguing constellation Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer.
- Regulus (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
REGULUS (Alpha Leonis). Regulus, glowing at the heart of Leo the Lion, one of the great constellations of the Zodiac, is near the end of the list of first magnitude stars.
- Rigel (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
RIGEL (Beta Orionis). Like its class M reddish rival in Orion, Betelgeuse, Rigel (Beta Orionis) is a supergiant, though a contrasting blue one (actually more blue-white) of class B (B8).
- Rigil Kentaurus (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
RIGIL KENTAURUS (Alpha Centauri) with PROXIMA CENTAURI (Alpha Cen C). Among the most famed stars of the entire sky, surely rival in renown to Sirius and Polaris even though not visible to much of the world’s population, is the “foot of the Centaur,” Rigil Kentaurus, “Rigil Kent,” the first star of Centaurus, probably much better known as Alpha Centauri or just Alpha Cen.
- Ruchba (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
Oddly, while the Omicrons have no proper names, dimmer Omega-1 (the brighter and western of its pair) is known as Ruchba (from an Arabic phrase meaning “the Hen’s Knee), which is not be confused with the OTHER Ruchbah, Delta Cassiopiae, the two being distinguished only by their English spellings.
- Ruchbah (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
And just over the line into third magnitude (2.68), Ruchbah is appropriately the fourth brightest star in the constellation, following right behind Gamma.
- Saiph (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
SAIPH (Kappa Orionis). Orion’s magnificence stems from the striking figure that appears like the outline of a person looking back at you. But he – she to the Arabs – would be little without the brilliance of his stars.
- Shaula (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
SHAULA (Lambda Scorpii). In temperate northern summers, Scorpius glides above the southern horizon, its lower curved tail almost out of sight, while in the temperate southern winter, the constellation passes high overhead. At the end of the tail lies a pair of stars that represent the scorpion’s “stinger,” once called Shaula, from Arabic meaning exactly that.
- Shedar (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
SHEDAR (Alpha Cassiopiae). The southernmost star of Cassiopeia’s famed Chair, Shedar is also the brightest, though not by much and not all of the time.
- Sheratan (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
SHERATAN (Beta Arietis). The most prominent part of Aries, the Ram, historically the “first” constellation of the Zodiac (as it held the Vernal Equinox in ancient times), is a thin flat triangle of stars that Bayer lettered (from east to west) Alpha (Hamal), Beta (our Sheratan), and Gamma (Mesarthim).
- Sirius (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
SIRIUS (Alpha Canis Majoris). From Orion, look south and to the east to find brilliant Sirius, as if one really needs directions to find the brightest star in the sky.
- Spica (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
SPICA (Alpha Virginis). Spica, the luminary of Virgo, becomes prominent in the southeast in northern spring evenings, and can easily be found by following the curve of the Big Dipper’s handle through Arcturus and then on down.
- Syrma (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
SYRMA (Iota Virginis). Most of the brighter stars of Virgo spread to the northwest of the luminary Spica. The dimmer ones go to the northeast, including our current star Syrma, which from Greek refers to the train of a dress, appropriate to the celestial Maiden of the Zodiac.
- Talitha (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
TALITHA (Iota Ursae Majoris). Three close (but physically unrelated) pairs of stars make the feet of Ursa Major, the Great Bear. In Arabic culture, the three represent the “leaps” of a gazelle, Talitha (Bayer’s “Iota” star) and Kappa Ursae Majoris making (and meaning) the westernmost “third leap” (the name actually coming from the number 3).
- Tania Australis (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
TANIA AUSTRALIS (Mu Ursae Majoris). Our Ursa Major, the Greater Bear, contains remnants of ancient Arabic constellations, the best-known example the star Alkaid, which refers to the leader of the daughters of a funeral bier. Southwest of the Dipper’s bowl lie three obvious pairs of stars that represent the bear’s paws, but to the Arabs were the tracks of leaping gazelles. The middle pair is the “second leap,” from which comes the name “Tania” (for “second”).
- Tania Borealis (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
TANIA BOREALIS (Lambda Ursae Majoris). Three pairs of unrelated stars mark the feet of Ursa Major, the Great Bear. To the Arabs, they marked the “leaps of the gazelle,” the first, second, and third leaps proceeding from east to west. Tania Borealis (Lambda Ursae Majoris) is the more northerly of the stars that make the “Second Leap,” the name from a long phrase that means just that (plus the Latin for “northern”).
- The Sun (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
Similar in many languages, “Sun,” related to Latin’s “sol,” was represented in ancient Greece as Helios, god of the Sun. Giver of warmth and life, we hardly think of the Sun as a star, the term “Sun and stars” in constant use, though the surmise that it is a star goes back to ancient times.
- Vega (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
VEGA (Alpha Lyrae). One of the most famed stars of the sky, Vega is the luminary of the exquisite constellation Lyra, the Lyre, which represents the harp of the great mythical musician Orpheus.
- Vindemiatrix (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
VINDEMIATRIX (Epsilon Virginis). Just over the line into third magnitude (2.83) and third brightest in the constellation Virgo following first magnitude Spica (the Alpha star) and Porrima (Gamma), Vindemiatrix still wound up with Bayer’s Epsilon designation.
- Wasat (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
WASAT (Delta Geminorum). With a name that does not ring much of a bell among astronomers, and shining only at the bright end of fourth magnitude, neither does the star itself.
- Wezen (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
WEZEN (Delta Canis Majoris). Shining at third rank in Canis Major, the Greater Dog, at bright second magnitude (1.84), Wezen is not far behind the Dog’s Adhara.
- Zeta Cephei (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
Third magnitude (3.35) Zeta, notably brighter than Delta, lies with Epsilon Cephei in a little triangle at Cepheus’s southeastern corner.
- Zubenelgenubi (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ZUBENELGENUBI (Alpha Librae). Dim Libra, which 2000 years ago held the autumnal equinox in its balance pans, is identified chiefly by two stars to the northwest of Scorpius that have delightful names, Zubeneschamali and Zubenelgenubi.
- Zubeneschamali (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ZUBENESCHAMALI (Beta Librae). Pronounced, zoo-ben-es-sha-mali, this tongue twister is among the better known of star names, along with that of its partner Zubenelgenubi, respectively the Beta and Alpha stars of Libra, the Scales.
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