Stars — the field guide — Galactic Space

The Sun's neighbours, the bright stars of the constellations and the companions they hide.

The Sun’s neighbours and the bright stars

Proxima CentauriProxima Centauri is the nearest star to the Sun, a small red dwarf too faint to see with the naked eye, bound loosely to the bright pair of Alpha Centauri.
Alpha Centauri AAlpha Centauri A is the nearest star like the Sun, a yellow star that, with its partner B, shines as the brightest point in the southern constellation Centaurus.
Alpha Centauri BAlpha Centauri B is the smaller partner of Alpha Centauri A, a cooler, more orange star that, with A, forms the closest pair of Sun-like stars to us.
Barnard's StarBarnard’s Star is a faint red dwarf in Ophiuchus that crosses the sky faster than any other star, and the nearest single star to the Sun.
Wolf 359Wolf 359 is one of the faintest and smallest stars near the Sun, a cool red dwarf in Leo that flares often and is invisible without a large telescope.
Lalande 21185Lalande 21185 is one of the brightest red dwarfs in the northern sky, lying in Ursa Major, yet still just too faint to see with the naked eye.
Sirius ASirius A is the brightest star in the night sky, a hot white star made dazzling less by its power than by how close to the Sun it sits.
Sirius BSirius B is the white dwarf companion of Sirius, about the size of the Earth yet with roughly the mass of the Sun, the dense core of a star that died.
Luyten 726-8 ALuyten 726-8 A, also called BL Ceti, is one of a pair of tiny red dwarfs in Cetus; its partner, UV Ceti, gave its name to the whole class of flare stars.
Ross 154Ross 154 is a red dwarf in Sagittarius, one of the closest stars to the Sun in that direction and a flare star, too faint for the naked eye.
Ross 248Ross 248 is a faint red dwarf in Andromeda that is approaching the Sun and will, for a time in the far future, become our nearest star.
Epsilon EridaniEpsilon Eridani is a young orange star in Eridanus, ringed by belts of dust and orbited by a giant planet, and one of the nearest stars visible to the eye.
Lacaille 9352Lacaille 9352 is a bright red dwarf in Piscis Austrinus with at least two planets, close to the Sun yet just too faint to be seen by the naked eye.
Ross 128Ross 128 is a quiet red dwarf in Virgo with a temperate, roughly Earth-mass planet, and it is drifting towards the Sun.
EZ Aquarii AEZ Aquarii A is the brightest of three small red dwarfs bound together in Aquarius, a triple system of flare stars hidden from the naked eye.
61 Cygni A61 Cygni A is an orange dwarf in Cygnus, and with its companion the first star system whose distance was ever measured, by Friedrich Bessel.
Procyon AProcyon A is the brightest star in Canis Minor, a yellow-white star near the Sun that is beginning to age, with a white dwarf companion like Sirius has.
Struve 2398 AStruve 2398 A is one of a pair of red dwarfs in Draco, catalogued as a double star by Wilhelm Struve and invisible to the naked eye.
Groombridge 34 AGroombridge 34 A is the brighter of a pair of red dwarfs in Andromeda, both flare stars, with planets found around the A star.
DX CancriDX Cancri is a tiny red dwarf flare star in Cancer, one of the least massive stars near the Sun and far too faint to see without a telescope.
Epsilon IndiEpsilon Indi is an orange star in the southern constellation Indus, orbited by a giant planet and, far out, by a pair of brown dwarfs.
Tau CetiTau Ceti is a single Sun-like star in Cetus, visible to the naked eye, long a favourite of the search for life and surrounded by a thick disc of debris.
GJ 1061GJ 1061 is a small, quiet red dwarf in Horologium with three known planets, two of them in the zone where liquid water could exist.
YZ CetiYZ Ceti is a small red dwarf flare star in Cetus with three close-in rocky planets, one of which may stir its magnetic field.
Luyten's StarLuyten’s Star is a red dwarf in Canis Minor with a super-Earth in its temperate zone, lying close to Procyon both on the sky and in space.
Teegarden's StarTeegarden’s Star is a very faint red dwarf in Aries, found only in the age of digital sky surveys, with small planets among the most Earth-like known.
SCR 1845-6357SCR 1845-6357 is a dim red dwarf in Pavo that was found only recently, orbited by a cold brown dwarf that has been photographed directly.
Kapteyn's StarKapteyn’s Star is an ancient red dwarf in Pictor, a visitor from the Galaxy’s halo passing through the disc, and the second-fastest star across our sky.
Lacaille 8760Lacaille 8760, also called AX Microscopii, is one of the brightest red dwarfs in the sky, at the very limit of naked-eye visibility in Microscopium.
Kruger 60 AKruger 60 A is the brighter of a pair of red dwarfs in Cepheus whose orbit is short enough to have been followed round in photographs within a human lifetime.
Ross 614 ARoss 614 A is a red dwarf in Monoceros whose tiny companion was detected first from the wobble it caused and only later seen through a telescope.
Wolf 1061Wolf 1061 is a red dwarf in Ophiuchus with three known planets, one of them a super-Earth near the inner edge of the zone where water could be liquid.
Van Maanen's StarVan Maanen’s Star is the nearest solitary white dwarf, a cool stellar remnant in Pisces whose surface carries the remains of rocky material.
Gliese 1Gliese 1 is a red dwarf in Sculptor, the first entry in Wilhelm Gliese’s catalogue of nearby stars, quiet and too faint to be seen by the naked eye.
Wolf 424 AWolf 424 A is one of a tight pair of very small red dwarfs in Virgo, both flare stars, circling each other on an orbit that can be followed within years.
TZ ArietisTZ Arietis is a small red dwarf flare star in Aries, too faint for the naked eye, around which a giant planet has been reported.
Gliese 687Gliese 687 is a quiet red dwarf in the northern constellation of Draco, a near neighbour of the Sun known to be circled by at least one planet.
LHS 292LHS 292 is a tiny, very faint red dwarf close to the Sun, a flare star that is easy to overlook because almost all of its light is infrared.
Gliese 674Gliese 674 is a red dwarf in the southern constellation of Ara, one of the nearest stars known to have a planet, found by the wobble it gives its star.
GJ 1245 AGJ 1245 A is the brightest member of a close family of three tiny red dwarfs in Cygnus, all of them flare stars that brighten without warning.
LP 145-141LP 145-141 is a white dwarf in the southern constellation of Musca, the exposed core of a dead star and one of the nearest of its kind to the Sun.
Gliese 876Gliese 876 is a red dwarf in Aquarius, the first red dwarf found to have a planet, and now known to host a family of planets locked in step.
LHS 288LHS 288 is a faint, very small red dwarf in the southern sky, close to the Sun yet so dim that it was singled out only by its fast drift across the sky.
Gliese 412 AGliese 412 A is a red dwarf in Ursa Major, the brighter member of a pair whose fainter member, WX Ursae Majoris, is a well-known flare star.
Groombridge 1618Groombridge 1618 is a nearby orange dwarf in Ursa Major, a star smaller and cooler than the Sun, named after the catalogue that first listed it.
AD LeonisAD Leonis is a young, magnetically active red dwarf in Leo, one of the most studied flare stars in the sky, prone to sudden violent outbursts.
AltairAltair is the brightest star in Aquila, a nearby white star spinning so fast that it is visibly flattened and hotter at its poles than its equator.
70 Ophiuchi A70 Ophiuchi A is a nearby orange star with a close companion, a double whose orbit was followed for so long that it once fooled astronomers into seeing a planet.
Sigma DraconisSigma Draconis is a single, Sun-like star in Draco, a little smaller and cooler than the Sun and close enough to be seen with the naked eye on a dark night.
Eta Cassiopeiae AEta Cassiopeiae A is a nearby star very much like the Sun, slightly brighter, with an orange dwarf companion, in the familiar W of Cassiopeia.
36 Ophiuchi A36 Ophiuchi A is an orange dwarf in a nearby triple system: a close pair of near-identical orange stars, with a third orbiting much farther out.
VegaVega is the bright white star of Lyra, a fast-spinning neighbour circled by dust, once the standard for star brightness and a future pole star.
FomalhautFomalhaut is the bright white star of Piscis Austrinus, a young neighbour encircled by a vast ring of dust that telescopes have imaged directly.
PolluxPollux is the brightest star in Gemini, an orange giant and the nearest giant star to the Sun, with a planet larger than Jupiter in orbit around it.
ArcturusArcturus is the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, an orange giant in Boötes that is older than the Sun and moving fast past it.
Capella AaCapella Aa is the cooler of the two giant stars that make up Capella, a close pair seen as a single golden star, the brightest in Auriga.
Castor ACastor A is one of six stars that make up Castor in Gemini: three pairs bound together, a system that helped show that gravity rules beyond the Sun.
AchernarAchernar is the bright blue-white star at the end of the river Eridanus, spinning so fast that it is one of the flattest stars ever measured.
AldebaranAldebaran is the orange giant that marks the eye of Taurus, seemingly part of the Hyades cluster but in fact much closer, lying in front of it.
RegulusRegulus is the heart of Leo, a hot blue-white star spinning so fast that it bulges at the equator, sitting almost exactly on the path of the planets.
Beta CrucisBeta Crucis, or Mimosa, is the hot blue-white star at the eastern arm of the Southern Cross, a massive young star that pulsates and has a close companion.
SpicaSpica is the brightest star in Virgo, a close pair of hot blue-white stars that orbit so tightly that each is pulled into an egg shape by the other.
AlnitakAlnitak is the eastern star of Orion’s Belt, a blue-white supergiant with companions, whose light helps make the nearby Flame Nebula glow.
AntaresAntares is the red supergiant at the heart of Scorpius, a swollen, dying star so large it would swallow the orbit of Mars, with a hot companion.
BetelgeuseBetelgeuse is the red supergiant at Orion’s shoulder, one of the largest stars visible to the eye, famous for its Great Dimming and its small companion, Siwarha.
RigelRigel is the brilliant blue-white supergiant at Orion’s foot, a massive star whose light lights up the faint Witch Head Nebula nearby.
PolarisPolaris is the North Star, a yellow-white giant that sits almost exactly above Earth’s North Pole, and the nearest pulsating Cepheid variable to us.
DenebDeneb is the white supergiant at the tail of Cygnus, one of the most luminous stars the eye can see, bright in our sky despite its great distance.
Eta CarinaeEta Carinae is a pair of huge, unstable stars in the Carina Nebula whose giant eruption made it briefly one of the brightest stars in the sky.
VY Canis MajorisVY Canis Majoris is a red hypergiant in Canis Major, one of the largest stars known, shedding its outer layers into a surrounding cloud of dust.
Sgr A*Sgr A* is the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, weighed by the stars that orbit it and imaged in silhouette by the Event Horizon Telescope.

Companions

Eta Carinae BEta Carinae B is the hidden partner of Eta Carinae, a hot blue star no telescope has separated from its huge companion, known only by what it does.
SiwarhaSiwarha is the small companion reported orbiting Betelgeuse, a modest star orbiting so close to the red supergiant that it is almost lost in its glare.
Antares BAntares B is the hot blue-white companion of the red supergiant Antares, a bright star in its own right that looks faint only because of its neighbour.
Albireo AcAlbireo Ac is the hot close companion of Albireo’s orange giant, too near its partner for the eye or a small telescope to separate from it.
Albireo BAlbireo B is the blue star of Albireo’s famous gold-and-blue pair, a hot rapidly spinning star that sits beside the orange giant in any small telescope.
Mizar AbMizar Ab is one of the two white stars that make up Mizar A, a pair so tight that only the spectrum, not a telescope, revealed it was double.
Mizar BaMizar Ba is one of the two stars of Mizar B, the fainter partner of Mizar seen in a telescope, itself a close pair revealed by its spectrum.
Mizar BbMizar Bb is the partner of Mizar Ba in the close pair called Mizar B, a white star like its companion and one of the members of the Mizar–Alcor family.
AlcorAlcor is the faint star beside Mizar in the handle of the Plough, an old test of good eyesight and probably a true member of Mizar’s system.
Alcor BAlcor B is a red dwarf orbiting Alcor, a small cool star found only recently because the glare of its bright white companion had hidden it.
AlcyoneAlcyone is the brightest star of the Pleiades, a hot blue-white giant at the heart of the cluster the world knows as the Seven Sisters.
AtlasAtlas is the second brightest star of the Pleiades, named for the Titan who in Greek myth was father of the Seven Sisters and held up the sky.
ElectraElectra is one of the brightest stars of the Pleiades, a blue-white giant named for one of the Seven Sisters of Greek myth, mother of Dardanus.
MaiaMaia is a bright blue-white star of the Pleiades, named for the eldest of the Seven Sisters, and lights the faint Maia Nebula around it.
MeropeMerope is the Pleiades star wrapped in the brightest part of the cluster’s blue haze, the Merope Nebula, dust lit by a passing hot star.
TaygetaTaygeta is a blue-white star of the Pleiades, named for the sister who in Greek myth was mother of Lacedaemon, founder of Sparta.
PleionePleione is the mother star of the Pleiades, a fast-spinning blue-white star that throws off shells of gas and slowly changes its brightness and spectrum.
CelaenoCelaeno is one of the fainter named stars of the Pleiades, a blue-white star near the limit of what the naked eye can pick out within the cluster.
AsteropeAsterope is the faintest of the named Pleiades, a blue-white star that forms a close-looking pair on the sky and is hard to see without help.
θ¹ Orionis Cθ¹ Orionis C is the most massive star of the Trapezium, a hot blue giant whose ultraviolet light makes most of the Orion Nebula glow.
θ¹ Orionis Aθ¹ Orionis A is one of the four Trapezium stars in the Orion Nebula, a hot young star whose brightness dips regularly as a companion passes in front of it.
θ¹ Orionis Bθ¹ Orionis B is the faintest of the four Trapezium stars, a blue-white eclipsing star that turns out to be a whole small family of young stars.
θ¹ Orionis Dθ¹ Orionis D is one of the four Trapezium stars at the centre of the Orion Nebula, a hot young star that helps light the surrounding gas.
Ring Nebula starThe Ring Nebula star is the exposed core of a dying Sun-like star at the centre of the Ring Nebula, a small, intensely hot white dwarf that makes the ring glow.
Helix Nebula starThe Helix Nebula star is the white dwarf at the centre of one of the nearest planetary nebulae, the cooling core of a star that shed its outer layers.
Cat's Eye starThe Cat’s Eye star is the hot central star of the Cat’s Eye Nebula, a dying star whose fierce wind shapes one of the most intricate nebulae known.
Crab PulsarThe Crab Pulsar is the neutron star left by the supernova SN 1054, a city-sized core spinning many times a second at the heart of the Crab Nebula.

Named stars of the constellations

AcamarAcamar is a white star in the southern course of Eridanus, a fine double whose name means the end of the river, a title it held before Achernar.
AcrabAcrab is a hot blue-white multiple star in the head of Scorpius whose Arabic name means the scorpion, a pair a small telescope splits easily.
AcruxAcrux is the brightest star of the Southern Cross, the foot of the cross, a pair of hot blue-white stars that appears on several national flags.
AcubensAcubens is a white star at one of the claws of Cancer, named from the Arabic for the claws and lying so close to the Sun’s path that the Moon often covers it.
AdhaferaAdhafera is a yellow-white giant in the Sickle of Leo, named from the Arabic for a curl or braid, a lock of the lion’s mane.
AdharaAdhara is a blue-white giant in Canis Major and the brightest source of extreme ultraviolet light in our sky, its Arabic name meaning the maidens.
AinAin is an orange giant in the Hyades, the cluster that forms the face of Taurus, and the first star in an open cluster found to have a planet.
AlbaldahAlbaldah is a yellow-white giant in Sagittarius, a powerful star beyond the Teapot’s handle whose Arabic name means the town.
AlbaliAlbali is a white star at the western edge of Aquarius, its Arabic name meaning the swallower, from an old lunar mansion of this part of the sky.
AlbireoAlbireo marks the head of Cygnus, the swan, and is one of the loveliest sights in a small telescope: a golden star beside a blue one.
AlchibaAlchiba is a yellow-white star in Corvus, the Crow, a nearby star that carries the letter alpha but is fainter than the four stars of the Crow’s body.
AlderaminAlderamin is the brightest star of Cepheus, a fast-spinning white star that the slow wobble of the Earth’s axis will one day make the pole star.
AldhanabAldhanab is a blue-white star in Grus, the crane, its Arabic name meaning the tail, a reminder that these stars once belonged to another figure.
AldhibahAldhibah is a blue-white star in the coils of Draco, hotter and more luminous than the Sun, lying where the Dragon’s body turns back on itself.
AldulfinAldulfin marks the tail of Delphinus, a blue-white star whose name is the Arabic for dolphin, adopted from medieval star catalogues.
AlfirkAlfirk is Beta Cephei, a hot blue-white star that pulsates over a matter of hours and has given its name to a whole class of variable stars.
AlgediAlgedi is the brighter of a naked-eye pair at the head of Capricornus, a yellow star whose companion on the sky lies far behind it in space.
AlgenibAlgenib is the hot blue-white star at the south-eastern corner of the Great Square of Pegasus, faintest of its four corners and the most powerful.
AlgiebaAlgieba is a famous double star in the Sickle of Leo, a pair of giant stars that a small telescope splits into two golden points.
AlgolAlgol, the Demon Star of Perseus, is an eclipsing binary that dims sharply every few days as a fainter companion passes in front of its blue-white star.
AlgorabAlgorab is a blue-white star in Corvus whose name means the crow, one corner of the small quadrilateral that forms the bird.
AlhenaAlhena is the white star at the feet of Pollux in Gemini, the third-brightest of the Twins, a navigational star whose Arabic name refers to a brand or mark.
AliothAlioth is the brightest star of Ursa Major, the first star of the Plough’s handle, a white star whose brightness shifts slightly as it spins.
AljanahAljanah is the star on the eastern wing of Cygnus, an orange star well past its prime whose Arabic name means simply the wing.
AlkaidAlkaid is the star at the end of the Plough’s handle, a hot blue-white star that, unlike most of the figure, does not travel with its neighbours.
AlkaphrahAlkaphrah is a white star on a front foot of the Great Bear, partner to Talitha in one of the Leaps of the Gazelle, though far more distant than its partner.
AlkesAlkes is an orange giant at the base of Crater, the Cup, its name taken from the Arabic for a cup, though it is not the brightest star of the figure.
AlmaazAlmaaz is a distant, luminous star in Auriga, famous because every so often a vast dark disc around an unseen companion passes in front of it.
AlmachAlmach marks the foot of Andromeda and is one of the finest double stars in the sky, a bright orange star with a small blue companion beside it.
AlnairAlnair is the brightest star of Grus, the crane, a hot blue-white star whose Arabic name means the bright one and which navigators still use.
AlnaslAlnasl is an orange star at the tip of the Archer’s arrow in Sagittarius, the spout of the Teapot pointing towards the centre of the Galaxy.
AlnilamAlnilam is the middle star of Orion’s belt, a hot blue-white supergiant so luminous that it shines brightly in our sky despite lying far behind its neighbours.
AlniyatAlniyat is a hot, luminous blue-white star beside Antares in Scorpius, one of the stars whose Arabic name places them around the Scorpion’s heart.
AlphardAlphard is the brightest star of Hydra, an orange giant whose Arabic name means the solitary one, for it shines alone in an empty stretch of sky.
AlpheccaAlphecca is the bright jewel of the Northern Crown, a white star with a faint companion that passes in front of it, dimming it slightly at each orbit.
AlpheratzAlpheratz is the hot blue-white star where two figures meet: the head of Andromeda and the north-eastern corner of the Great Square of Pegasus.
AlphergAlpherg is a yellow giant and the brightest star of Pisces, a faint zodiac constellation; its name comes from the Arabic for the spout of a water bucket.
AlreschaAlrescha is the white star at the knot of Pisces, where the cords tied to the tails of the two fishes meet; its Arabic name means the cord.
AlsciaukatAlsciaukat is an orange giant in the faint northern constellation of the Lynx, a star that has left its long middle age behind and swollen as its core changed.
AlsephinaAlsephina is a white star in Vela, the sails of the ship Argo, the closest of the four stars of the False Cross and the one whose name means the ship.
AlshainAlshain is the fainter of the two stars flanking Altair in Aquila, a yellow star that has begun to grow larger than the Sun as it ages.
AltaisAltais is an orange star in the coils of Draco, cooler than the Sun but swollen far wider, shining as one of the steadier lamps along the dragon’s body.
AlterfAlterf is an orange giant in the head of Leo, its name from the Arabic for the glance or eye of the lion, a faint star just beyond the Sickle.
AludraAludra is the blue-white star at the tip of the Great Dog’s tail, a distant, highly luminous supergiant whose Arabic name means the maiden.
Alula BorealisAlula Borealis is an orange giant on a hind foot of the Great Bear, the northern star of the first of the Leaps of the Gazelle.
AlyaAlya is a white star at the end of the serpent’s tail in Serpens, and a lovely double, two matched stars side by side in a small telescope.
AlzirrAlzirr is a yellow-white star in Gemini, a near neighbour of the Sun a little hotter and brighter than it, its Arabic name meaning the button.
AnchaAncha is a yellow giant in Aquarius whose name is medieval Latin for hip, marking the water bearer’s haunch not far from the Water Jar.
AnkaaAnkaa is the orange giant that leads the southern constellation Phoenix, a star past its prime whose name is the Arabic word for a legendary bird.
AnserAnser is the brightest star of Vulpecula, a red giant whose name is the Latin for goose, the bird once held in the jaws of the little fox.
ArnebArneb is the brightest star of Lepus, a distant yellow-white supergiant whose name is simply the Arabic word for the hare.
AscellaAscella is a white star at the base of the Teapot in Sagittarius, a close pair of stars named from the Latin for armpit.
Asellus AustralisAsellus Australis is the southern donkey colt of Cancer, an orange star beside the Beehive cluster and one of the brighter of the faint stars that draw the Crab.
Asellus BorealisAsellus Borealis, the northern donkey colt, is a white star in Cancer that sits beside the Beehive cluster, one of a pair of donkeys feeding at the manger.
AshleshaAshlesha is a yellow star in the head of Hydra, named after the lunar mansion of Indian astronomy that this part of the sky marks.
AspidiskeAspidiske is a white giant in Carina, part of the False Cross, its Greek name meaning a little shield, the ornament on the stern of a ship.
AthebyneAthebyne is a yellow giant in the coils of Draco, a star a little cooler than the Sun but far larger, its name recalling a pair of serpents.
AtikAtik is a hot blue-white star in the southern part of Perseus, a distant, very luminous star belonging to a young group of massive stars in the hero.
AtriaAtria is an orange giant and the brightest star of the Southern Triangle, its name a simple contraction of its catalogue designation.
AviorAvior is an orange supergiant in the keel of Argo, one corner of the False Cross, a star swollen far beyond the Sun and shining from deep in the southern sky.
AzhaAzha is an orange giant in the upper course of Eridanus, the river, a modest star in the long winding line of faint stars that flows south from Orion.
AzmidiAzmidi is a luminous yellow giant in Puppis, the Stern of the old ship Argo, a distant star that has swollen far beyond the size of the Sun.
Baten KaitosBaten Kaitos is an orange giant in Cetus whose name means the belly of the sea monster, the part of the great figure it marks in the autumn sky.
BeemimBeemim is an orange giant in the southern course of Eridanus, a cool swollen star among the faint bends of the long river south of Orion.
BeidBeid is a yellow-white star in Eridanus whose Arabic name means the eggs, a neighbour in the sky of Keid, the famous triple star of the river.
BellatrixBellatrix is the hot blue-white star at Orion’s western shoulder, much nearer than the hunter’s other bright stars, its Latin name meaning female warrior.
BharaniBharani is a blue-white star in Aries named after a lunar mansion of Indian astronomy, the band of sky the Moon crosses on one night of its circuit.
BihamBiham is a white star near the head of Pegasus, its name from an Arabic phrase meaning the luck of the young beasts, one of many lucky stars here.
BrachiumBrachium is a cool red star in Libra whose Latin name means the arm, a star once counted as part of Scorpius before it was moved to the Scales.
CanopusCanopus is the second-brightest star in the night sky, a luminous yellow-white giant of the far south, long used by sailors and spacecraft to find their way.
CaphCaph is the yellow-white star at the western end of the W of Cassiopeia, a star that pulses in brightness by a tiny amount every few hours.
CebalraiCebalrai is an orange giant in the shoulder of Ophiuchus, near Rasalhague, its Arabic name meaning the shepherd’s dog.
ChamukuyChamukuy is a white star of the Hyades in Taurus, the brighter of a pair that the eye can split, named from the Maya language for a small bird.
CharaChara is a yellow star in Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs, close to the Sun and very like it in size, temperature and brightness.
ChertanChertan is a white star on the hip of Leo, one corner of the triangle of stars that marks the lion’s hindquarters with Zosma and Denebola.
CihCih is the hot blue star at the centre of the W of Cassiopeia, the prototype of a class of spinning stars that throw off discs of gas and flare unpredictably.
Cor CaroliCor Caroli is the brightest star of Canes Venatici, named the Heart of Charles for an English king, and the model for a whole class of magnetic stars.
CujamCujam is a blue-white star in Hercules, named for the club the hero swings, a modest light at the end of the figure’s raised arm.
CursaCursa is a white star beside Rigel at the head of Eridanus, the River, its name an Arabic word for the footstool on which Orion rests his foot.
DabihDabih sits just below Algedi at the head of Capricornus, a multiple star system that binoculars split into a wide and handsome pair.
DalimDalim is the brightest star of Fornax, the furnace, a yellow-white star a little hotter than the Sun in a faint southern constellation drawn by Lacaille.
Deneb AlgediDeneb Algedi is the brightest star of Capricornus, a white eclipsing binary at the sea goat’s tail that dims slightly when one star passes the other.
DenebolaDenebola marks the tail of Leo, a nearby white star whose name means the lion’s tail and which forms one corner of the Spring Triangle.
DiademDiadem is the star lettered alpha in Coma Berenices, a yellow-white pair of near-twin stars that marks the jewelled crown of Queen Berenice.
DiphdaDiphda is the orange giant that is usually the brightest star of Cetus, the sea monster, alone in an empty stretch of the autumn sky south of Pisces.
DschubbaDschubba is the hot blue-white star at the centre of the scorpion’s head that unexpectedly brightened and became a star shedding a disc of gas.
DubheDubhe is the brightest star of the bowl of the Plough and the upper of the two Pointers, the stars that lead the eye across the sky to Polaris.
EdasichEdasich is an orange giant in Draco and one of the first giant stars around which a planet was found, a gas giant on a strongly elongated orbit.
ElnathElnath is the blue-white star at the tip of the Bull’s northern horn, a star once shared with Auriga, its Arabic name meaning the butting one.
EltaninEltanin is an orange giant and the brightest star of Draco, the star through which the aberration of starlight was first discovered.
EnifEnif marks the muzzle of Pegasus, an orange supergiant whose Arabic name means nose, glowing at the far end of the horse from the Great Square.
ErraiErrai is an orange star in Cepheus with a giant planet and a red dwarf companion, and the next bright star the north celestial pole will pass.
FangFang is a hot blue-white star in the head of Scorpius whose name comes from Chinese astronomy, the Room, one of the lunar mansions of the Chinese sky.
FawarisFawaris is the star on the western arm of the Northern Cross in Cygnus, a blue-white star with a close companion and a name meaning the riders.
FuyueFuyue is an orange giant near the tip of the Scorpion’s tail, carrying a name taken from Chinese astronomy rather than the Arabic tradition.
GacruxGacrux is the red star at the top of the Southern Cross, a cool, swollen star far wider than the Sun and one of the nearest of its kind.
GiausarGiausar is a red giant near the tip of the tail of Draco, the Dragon, which winds between the two Bears around the north celestial pole.
GienahGienah is the brightest star of Corvus, the Crow, a hot blue-white star wider than the Sun and far more luminous.
GomeisaGomeisa is the fainter of the two stars that make up Canis Minor, a hot blue-white star beside Procyon whose Arabic name means the bleary-eyed one.
GrumiumGrumium is an orange star in the head of Draco, the faint corner of the lozenge that Eltanin and Rastaban make in the northern sky.
GudjaGudja is a red giant in the head of Serpens, a cool star far wider than the Sun that glows with a warm red-orange light near Unukalhai.
HadarHadar is the second brightest star of Centaurus, a hot blue-white giant system that with Alpha Centauri points the way to the Southern Cross.
HaedusHaedus is a hot blue-white star in Auriga, one of the Kids beside Capella, its name the Latin word for a young goat.
HamalHamal is the orange giant that is the brightest star of Aries, the Ram, a navigational star with a planet discovered orbiting it.
HassalehHassaleh is an orange giant at a corner of the Auriga pentagon, a cool swollen star whose light now comes from a vast surface rather than heat.
HezeHeze is a white star in Virgo lying almost exactly on the celestial equator, a hot, fast-spinning star with a faint red companion.
HomamHomam is a blue-white star in the neck of Pegasus, between Markab and the horse’s head, one of the many lucky-star names of this sky.
IklilIklil is a hot blue-white star in the head of Scorpius whose Arabic name means the crown, a young member of a great nearby family of massive stars.
ImaiImai is a hot blue-white star in the Southern Cross, the faintest of its four main stars, marking one end of the shorter arm.
IzarIzar is a double star in Boötes so lovely in a telescope that it was named Pulcherrima, the most beautiful, for the colours of its two stars.
JabbahJabbah is a hot blue-white star at the head of Scorpius, a crowded multiple system that lights a pale blue reflection nebula around itself.
KaffaljidhmaKaffaljidhma is a white star in the head of Cetus, the sea monster, a close double whose Arabic name refers to part of a hand in an older sky figure.
Kaus AustralisKaus Australis is the brightest star of Sagittarius, a blue-white star at the southern end of the Archer’s bow and the base of the Teapot.
Kaus BorealisKaus Borealis is an orange star at the northern end of the Archer’s bow, the top of the Teapot’s lid, lying close to the path of the Sun and planets.
Kaus MediaKaus Media is an orange giant in the middle of the Archer’s bow in Sagittarius, where the lid of the Teapot meets its spout side.
KitalphaKitalpha is the brightest star of Equuleus, the little horse, a yellow star paired with a hotter companion in one of the smallest constellations.
KochabKochab is an orange giant in Ursa Minor, the brighter of the two Guardians of the Pole at the end of the Little Dipper’s bowl.
KornephorosKornephoros is a yellow giant and the brightest star of Hercules, its Greek name meaning the club bearer, a fitting title for the hero.
KrazKraz is a yellow giant in Corvus, one corner of the crow’s quadrilateral and the only star of the four that is cooler than the Sun.
LarawagLarawag is an orange giant in the curve of the Scorpion’s tail, a fairly near star whose name comes from Aboriginal Australian sky lore.
LesathLesath is a hot blue-white star in the sting of Scorpius, set close beside the brighter Shaula at the very tip of the Scorpion’s tail.
MaasymMaasym is an orange giant in Hercules, an ageing star far larger than the Sun whose Arabic name marks the wrist of the figure.
MahasimMahasim is a white star on the pentagon of Auriga, hot and chemically peculiar, its Arabic name meaning the Charioteer’s wrist.
MarfikMarfik is a white star at the elbow of Ophiuchus, a close double whose two stars circle each other and blur into one point to the unaided eye.
MarkabMarkab is the south-west corner of the Great Square of Pegasus, a blue-white star used by navigators, its Arabic name meaning the saddle.
MarkebMarkeb is a hot blue-white star in Vela, the sails of Argo, one corner of the False Cross, its name taken from an Arabic word for a ship or vehicle.
MatarMatar is a yellow giant on the foreleg of Pegasus, its Arabic name meaning the luck of the rain, part of a binary system too tight to split by eye.
MebsutaMebsuta is a luminous giant in Gemini, marking Castor’s leg, a distant star whose Arabic name describes an outstretched paw.
MegrezMegrez is the white star where the handle of the Plough meets the bowl, the faintest of the seven, its name from the Arabic for the root of the tail.
MeissaMeissa is the hot blue star at Orion’s head, the brightest member of a young cluster wrapped in a wide ring of gas and dust that its own light has helped to clear.
MekbudaMekbuda is a pulsating yellow giant in Gemini, a Cepheid variable whose steady rhythm of brightening and fading is tied to its true power.
MenkalinanMenkalinan is the white star at the Charioteer’s shoulder, really two nearly identical stars that eclipse each other as they orbit.
MenkarMenkar is the cool red star at the head of Cetus, the sea monster, a cool swollen star whose name comes from the Arabic for the nose.
MenkentMenkent is an orange giant in Centaurus, a cool, evolved star whose name refers to the centaur’s shoulder, much nearer than Hadar beside it.
MenkibMenkib is a hot blue star racing through Perseus, a massive runaway whose ultraviolet light makes the California Nebula glow red beside it.
MerakMerak is a white star at the bottom of the bowl of the Plough, one of the two Pointers that lead the eye from the Great Bear to Polaris.
MeridianaMeridiana is the brightest star of Corona Australis, a white star in the small southern arc of stars below the Archer.
MesarthimMesarthim is the white star in the head of Aries, the Ram, a striking pair of nearly identical stars that a small telescope splits easily.
MiaplacidusMiaplacidus is a white star in Carina, the brightest of the Keel after Canopus, its name an odd blend of Arabic and Latin usually read as calm waters.
MinchirMinchir is an orange giant in the head of Hydra, the long Water Snake, its name taken from the Arabic for the snake’s nostril.
MinelauvaMinelauva is a red giant in Virgo, a cool, swollen star far wider than the Sun that glows with a warm orange tint among the Maiden’s stars.
MintakaMintaka is the western star of Orion’s belt, a hot blue multiple system that sits almost exactly on the celestial equator, rising due east everywhere.
MiraMira is the red giant in Cetus that grows bright and then fades out of naked-eye view over most of a year, the prototype of the long-period variable stars.
MirachMirach is the red giant in the middle of Andromeda’s line of stars, the signpost observers use to find the Andromeda Galaxy beside it.
MiramMiram is a luminous orange giant in the northern part of Perseus, a distant star that a telescope shows with a faint companion beside it.
MirfakMirfak is the brightest star of Perseus, a luminous yellow-white supergiant at the heart of a scattered cluster of young blue stars, the Alpha Persei Cluster.
MirzamMirzam is a hot blue-white star in Canis Major that rises just before Sirius, its Arabic name meaning the herald of the Dog Star.
MisamMisam is an orange star in Perseus, close to Algol in the sky, an evolved star a little cooler than the Sun and several times its width.
MizarMizar is the middle star of the Plough’s handle, with Alcor beside it a naked-eye pair, and in a telescope a system of several stars bound together.
MothallahMothallah is the yellow-white star at the tip of Triangulum, a small northern constellation whose Arabic name for this star simply means the triangle.
MulipheinMuliphein is a blue-white star in Canis Major, a modest point near Sirius that in space lies very far behind the Dog Star.
MuphridMuphrid is a yellow star in Boötes close to Arcturus, both on the sky and in space, a Sun-like star that has begun to swell as it ages.
MuscidaMuscida marks the muzzle of the Great Bear, a yellow giant out beyond the bowl of the Plough at the tip of the animal’s nose.
NaosNaos is the brightest star of Puppis and one of the hottest stars the eye can see, a blue giant racing through space and blowing off a ferocious wind.
NashiraNashira is a white star in the tail of Capricornus, its Arabic name meaning the bearer of good news, one of a pair of stars at the sea goat’s tail.
NekkarNekkar is a yellow giant at the head of Boötes, the Herdsman, a star far wider than the Sun at the top of the constellation’s kite.
NembusNembus is an orange giant in Andromeda, near the border with Perseus, a modest star of the princess’s figure with a cool, swollen body.
NihalNihal is a yellow giant in Lepus, the Hare at Orion’s feet, a star swollen past its prime whose Arabic name refers to camels quenching their thirst.
NunkiNunki is a hot blue-white star in the handle of the Teapot, the second-brightest star of Sagittarius, near the path of the Sun and planets.
NusakanNusakan is a yellow-white star in Corona Borealis, a binary whose brighter star is chemically peculiar, with a strong magnetic field and odd surface chemistry.
OkabOkab is a white star in the tail of Aquila, hotter than the Sun, its Arabic name simply meaning the eagle.
PaikauhalePaikauhale is a very hot blue-white star just beyond Antares in Scorpius, one of the hottest stars the eye can see and a reference for its kind.
PeacockPeacock is the brightest star of Pavo in the far southern sky, a hot blue-white star whose plain English name was coined for navigators.
PhactPhact is the brightest star of Columba, the Dove, a hot blue-white star whose Arabic name refers to a ring dove.
PhecdaPhecda is a white star at the lower corner of the bowl of the Plough, its name from the Arabic for the thigh of the bear.
PherkadPherkad is a white giant in Ursa Minor, the fainter of the two Guardians of the Pole that circle Polaris at the end of the Little Dipper.
PolisPolis is a distant blue-white supergiant above the Teapot of Sagittarius, a hot, massive star whose distance has never been measured well.
PorrimaPorrima is a famous double star in Virgo, two nearly identical yellow-white stars in a long, highly elongated orbit around each other.
PraecipuaPraecipua is the brightest star of Leo Minor, an orange star with no Greek letter at all, its Latin name meaning the chief one.
Prima HyadumPrima Hyadum is a yellow giant of the Hyades, the nearest open cluster, and it marks the point of the V that forms the face of Taurus, the Bull.
PropusPropus is a red supergiant at the foot of Castor in Gemini, a swollen, slowly varying star whose Greek name means the forward foot.
RanaRana is a nearby orange star in Eridanus, an ageing star just leaving the main sequence whose Latin name, adopted by the IAU, means the frog.
Ras Elased AustralisRas Elased Australis is a yellow giant in Leo, the southern star of the lion’s head, sitting at the bend of the Sickle that draws the lion’s mane.
RasalasRasalas is an orange star in Leo, the northern star of the lion’s head, one of the stars that bend the Sickle round at its top.
RasalgethiRasalgethi is a red supergiant at the head of Hercules, a vast, slowly varying star with a companion that looks green beside it in a telescope.
RasalhagueRasalhague is the brightest star of Ophiuchus, a white star near the Sun spinning so fast it bulges at its equator, at the Serpent Bearer’s head.
RastabanRastaban is a yellow giant in the head of Draco, its Arabic name meaning the head of the serpent, beside its brighter twin Eltanin.
RotanevRotanev is the brightest star of Delphinus, a close binary whose odd name is a Latin surname written backwards, a joke hidden in a star catalogue.
RuchbahRuchbah is the white star in the W of Cassiopeia, a hot class A star whose Arabic name means the knee of the queen seated on her throne.
SabikSabik is a white star in the legs of Ophiuchus, the second-brightest of the figure and a close pair whose stars a telescope can only just split.
SaclateniSaclateni is an orange giant in Auriga with a hot blue companion that slips behind it, the prototype of a whole class of eclipsing binaries.
SadachbiaSadachbia is the central star of the Water Jar in Aquarius, a white star whose Arabic name means the luck of the tents.
SadalbariSadalbari is an orange giant in Pegasus beside Scheat, its name from the Arabic for the luck of the excellent one, another of the lucky stars here.
SadalmelikSadalmelik is the alpha star of Aquarius, a yellow giant lying almost on the celestial equator, its Arabic name meaning the luck of the king.
SadalsuudSadalsuud is the brightest star of Aquarius, a luminous yellow giant whose Arabic name means the luckiest of the lucky stars.
SadrSadr is the star at the crossing of the Northern Cross in Cygnus, a yellow-white supergiant set in some of the richest fields of the Milky Way.
SaiphSaiph is the hot blue-white star at Orion’s eastern knee, a luminous giant whose Arabic name, meaning sword, strayed to it from the hunter’s sword.
SargasSargas is a yellow-white giant deep in the curl of the Scorpion’s tail, a powerful star low in the southern sky for northern observers.
SarinSarin is a white star in Hercules, hotter and brighter than the Sun, lying near Rasalgethi at the southern end of the upside-down hero.
ScheatScheat is the red star at the north-west corner of the Great Square of Pegasus, a huge cool star whose brightness drifts irregularly.
SchedarSchedar is the orange giant at the base of the W of Cassiopeia, a swollen ageing star whose Arabic name means the breast of the seated queen.
Secunda HyadumSecunda Hyadum is a yellow giant of the Hyades cluster in Taurus, a star on the northern arm of the V that outlines the face of the Bull.
SeginSegin is the blue-white star at the eastern end of the W of Cassiopeia, a hot, distant giant that is the faintest of the zigzag’s five stars.
SeginusSeginus is a white star marking the herdsman’s shoulder in Boötes, a star whose surface pulses gently in a rapid rhythm of brightening and dimming.
ShamSham is the alpha star of Sagitta, the arrow, a yellow giant whose Arabic name simply means arrow, flying between Altair and Albireo.
ShaulaShaula is the sting of Scorpius, a hot blue-white giant and the second-brightest star of the Scorpion, set at the raised tip of its tail.
SheliakSheliak is the prototype of a whole class of eclipsing binaries, a pair in Lyra so close that one star pours its gas onto the other.
SheratanSheratan is the white star in the head of Aries, the Ram, a close binary whose Arabic name refers to the two signs of an ancient equinox.
SkatSkat is a white star in Aquarius, its name from the Arabic for shin, lying near the radiant of the Delta Aquariid meteors that are named after it.
SualocinSualocin is the alpha star of Delphinus, a blue-white star whose name, read backwards, spells Nicolaus, half of a hidden signature in the sky.
SuhailSuhail is an orange supergiant in Vela, the sails of Argo, a huge cool star carrying an old Arabic name once given to several bright southern stars.
SulafatSulafat is a blue-white giant in Lyra, the second-brightest star of the Lyre, named after the tortoise whose shell made the first lyre.
SyrmaSyrma is a yellow-white star in Virgo whose Greek name means the train of a robe, the hem of the Maiden’s gown trailing across the sky.
TabitTabit is a yellow-white star close to the Sun, a near neighbour that from Earth happens to stand in the bow or shield held out by distant Orion.
TaiyangshouTaiyangshou is an orange giant among the stars of the Great Bear’s hind legs, carrying a name drawn from traditional Chinese astronomy.
TalithaTalitha is a white star on a front foot of the Great Bear, one of the pairs of stars Arabic tradition called the Leaps of the Gazelle.
Tania AustralisTania Australis is a red giant on a hind foot of the Great Bear, the southern star of the second of the Leaps of the Gazelle.
Tania BorealisTania Borealis is a white star on a hind foot of the Great Bear, the northern star of the second of the Leaps of the Gazelle.
TarazedTarazed is the orange giant just beside Altair in Aquila, one of the pair of stars that flank the eagle’s brightest star like an escort.
TarfTarf is an orange giant and the brightest star of Cancer, a dim constellation, a star that has swollen far larger than the Sun as its core ran dry.
TejatTejat is a cool red star at the foot of Castor in Gemini, a swollen star near the end of its life that brightens and fades slightly as it pulsates.
TheeminTheemin is a yellow giant on the long winding course of Eridanus, the River, a star that has left its quiet middle age and swollen as its core ran dry.
ThubanThuban is a white star in Draco that was the pole star when the Egyptian pyramids were built, before the slow wobble of Earth’s axis moved the pole away.
TiakiTiaki is the red star of Grus, the crane, a huge cool star that varies in brightness and glows in clear contrast to blue-white Alnair beside it.
TianguanTianguan is the blue-white star at the tip of the Bull’s southern horn, the Celestial Gate of Chinese astronomy, near which the Crab supernova was recorded.
TorcularTorcular is an orange giant in Pisces, a faint star of the fishes’ cord whose name comes from the Latin word for a wine or oil press.
TureisTureis is a yellow-white star in Puppis, fairly close to the Sun, that pulsates rapidly and is among the brightest stars of its pulsating class.
UkdahUkdah is an orange giant in the body of Hydra, one of the faint stars that carry the long Water Snake eastwards from its bright heart, Alphard.
UnukalhaiUnukalhai is the brightest star of Serpens, an orange giant whose Arabic name means the neck of the snake, set in the head of the Serpent.
VindemiatrixVindemiatrix is a yellow giant in Virgo whose name means the grape-gatherer, from the time of year it first appeared in the dawn sky.
WasatWasat is a yellow-white star in the middle of Gemini, lying close to the ecliptic, and the star beside which Pluto was first found.
WaznWazn is an orange star in Columba, the Dove, a fairly near neighbour that has swollen past its prime, its Arabic name meaning weight.
WezenWezen is a yellow-white supergiant in Canis Major, a distant and enormously luminous star whose Arabic name, like that of Wazn, means weight.
WurrenWurren is a blue-white star of the southern constellation Phoenix, a system whose two main stars pass in front of each other and dim its light in turn.
XamidimuraXamidimura is a hot blue-white eclipsing binary in the Scorpion’s tail, two stars so close that they pull each other out of round.
XuangeXuange is a white star in Boötes, the prototype of a class of stars whose surfaces are strangely poor in heavy elements such as iron.
Yed PosteriorYed Posterior is a yellow giant in the hand of Ophiuchus, the follower in a pair of stars that look like neighbours but lie far apart.
Yed PriorYed Prior is a cool red giant in the hand of Ophiuchus, the leading star of a close-looking pair that is no pair at all once you leave Earth.
YildunYildun is a white star in the Little Dipper, the next star along the handle after Polaris and one of the closest named stars to the pole.
ZaniahZaniah is a white star in Virgo, the Maiden, lying close to the ecliptic, so the Moon and the planets now and then pass in front of it.
ZaurakZaurak is a red giant in the northern course of Eridanus, the river, a cool swollen star whose Arabic name refers to a boat.
ZavijavaZavijava is a nearby yellow-white star in Virgo, a little hotter and brighter than the Sun, lying so close to the ecliptic that the Moon often hides it.
ZhangZhang is a yellow giant in the coils of Hydra, named after one of the lunar mansions of Chinese astronomy, the mansion called the Extended Net.
ZosmaZosma is a white star on the back of Leo, near the lion’s hindquarters, its Greek name meaning a girdle or loincloth.
ZubenelgenubiZubenelgenubi is a white star in Libra whose Arabic name means the southern claw, from a time when these stars were the claws of the Scorpion.
ZubenelhakrabiZubenelhakrabi is an orange giant in Libra whose Arabic name means the claw of the scorpion, an echo of the time when Libra belonged to Scorpius.
ZubeneschamaliZubeneschamali is the brightest star of Libra, the northern claw of the old Scorpion, a hot blue-white star some observers have called green.

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