Most bright stars have names. Even some stars you can hardly see with the naked eye have names. This page lists over 150 named stars viewable in the southern latitudes. There are more named stars than that, but even stating that 150 stars have "common" names is a bit of a stretch. Of course, if there are billions and billions of stars, that's not many. On a sister page is a list of a similar number of named stars viewable in the northern latitudes.

For additional astronomy sites, go to the Star Gazing Guide and Astronomical Images sections at the bottom of the page.

THE NAMED STARS IN THEIR CONSTELLATIONS VISIBLE FROM THE LATITUDE OF CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND (43.5° South) Why Christchurch? That's where I first saw the Southern Cross.
Stars are arranged by constellation. In addition to each star's name are its Greek letter (designation system created by 17th century German astronomer Johan Bayer), magnification, and the meaning of its name. The brightest stars (all those with magnitudes under 2.0) are listed in red, and the ten brightest are enumerated (not including the sun nor stars hidden at this latitude).
Constellation	Letter	Magni- tude	Name	Meaning
Andromeda, the Chained Maiden [Not all named stars are visible in Southern latitudes.]	Alpha	2.1	Alpheratz	Horse's navel (Arabic)
	Beta	2.0	Mirach	Loins, Girdle, Waistcloth (Arabic)
Aquarius, the Water Carrier	Alpha	2.9	Sadalmelik	Lucky one of the king (Arabic)
	Beta	2.8	Sadalsuud	Luckiest of the lucky stars (Arabic)
	Gamma	3.8	Sadachbia	Lucky star hidden by tents (Arabic)
	Delta	3.3	Skat, or Scheat	Leg
	Epsilon	3.8	Albali	Good fortune of the swallower (Arabic)
	Theta	4.3	Ancha	Hip (Medieval Latin)
Aquila, the Eagle	Alpha	0.7	Altair	Shaft; flying eagle (Arabic)
	Beta	3.7	Alshain	Plundering falcon (Persian)
	Gamma	2.7	Tarazed	Plundering, soaring (Persian)
	Lambda & Iota	3.4 & 4.5	Althalimain	Two ostriches (Arabic)
Aries, the Ram	Alpha	2.0	Hamal	Head of the sheep or Full grown lamb (Arabic)
	Beta	2.6	Sheratan	A sign (Arabic)
	Gamma	3.9	Mesartim	Extremely fat ram (Arabic)
	Delta	4.5	Botein	Bully (Arabic)
Bootes, the Bear Chaser [Not all named stars are visible in Southern latitudes.]	Alpha	-0.0 [#4]	Arcturus	Bear guard (Greek)
	Beta	3.5	Nekkar	Drover (Arabic)
	Gamma	3.0	Seginus	Arabic transliteration of Arcturus (Arabic)
	Epsilon	2.4	Izar	Girdle (Arabic)
	Eta	2.7	Muphrid	Solitary star of the lancer (Arabic)
	Mu	4.3	Alkalurops	Shepherd's crook (Arabic)
Cancer, the Crab	Alpha	4.5	Acubens	Claws (Arabic)
	Beta	3.5	Altarf	Eye, or end (Arabic)
	Gamma	3.9	Asellus Borealis	Nothern little ass (Latin)
	Delta	4.0	Asellus Australis	Southern little ass (Latin)
Canes Venati, the Hunting Dogs	Alpha	2.9	Cor Caroli	Heart of Charles (Latin)
Canis Major, the Big Dog	Alpha	-1.4 [#1]	Sirius; Dog star	Scorching one; Door keeper?
	Beta	2.0	Murzim, Mirzam	Announcer
	Delta	1.8	Wezen	The weight
	Epsilon	1.5	Adhara	A virgin
	Zeta	3.0	Furud	Bright Single One, or Male Ape
	Eta	2.4	Aludra	Another virgin
Canis Minor,	Alpha	0.3 [#7]	Procyon	Before the dog (Latin/Greek)
	Beta	2.8	Gomeisa	Weeper (Arabic)
Capricornus, the Sea-Goat	Alpha	3.5	Algedi	The goat; Forehead? (Arabic)
	Beta	3.1	Dabih	Lucky one of the slaughterers (Arabic)
	Delta	2.8	Deneb Algedi	Goat's tail (Arabic)
	Gamma	3.6	Nashira	Bringer of Good Tidings (Arabic)
Carina, the Argo's Keel	Alpha	-0.7 [#2]	Canopus	Name of the Argo's helmsman
	Beta	1.7	Miaplacidus	Calm waters (Arabic)
	Epsilon	1.9	Avior	Flying machine (modern designation)
	Iota	2.2	Scutulum	Little shield (Latin)
Centaurus, the Centaur	Alpha	-0.2 [#3]	Rigil Kent	Foot of the centaur (Arabic)
	Beta	0.6 [#10]	Hadar, or Agena	Ground (Arabic)
	Epsilon	1.9	Menkent	Shoulder of the centaur (Arabic)
Cetus, the Sea Monster (AKA The Whale)	Alpha	2.5	Menkar	Nose; Nostril (Arabic)
	Beta	2.0	Deneb Kaitos; Diphda	Tail of the monster; Frog
	Gamma	3.6	Alkaffaljidhina	Arm or hand of the monster? (Arabic)
	Zeta	3.7	Baiten Kaitos	Belly of the monster (Arabic)
	Omicron	2.5 to 10	Mira	Marvelous
Columba, the Dove	Alpha	2.6	Phaet	Dove (Arabic)
	Beta	3.1	Wezn	The weight (Arabic)
Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown	Alpha	2.2	Alphekka	Bright one (Broken one?) of the dish
	Beta	3.6	Nusakan	Second jewel; second of the series?
Corvus, the Crow	Alpha	4.0	Alkhiba	Tent (Arabic)
	Gamma	2.5	Gienah	Wing (Arabic)
	Delta	2.9	Algorab	Raven (Arabic)
Crater, the Cup	Alpha	4.0	Alkes	Cup (Arabic)
Crux Australis, the Southern Cross	Alpha	0.8	Acrux	Alpha Crux (modern)
	Beta	1.2	Mimosa, or Becrux	Mime? or the Mimosa plant? (Arabic)
	Gamma	1.6	Gacrux	Gamma Crux (modern)
Cygnus, the Swan (AKA the Northern Cross)	Alpha	1.2	Deneb	Hen's tail
	Beta	3.0	Albireo	Hen's beak
	Gamma	2.2	Sadr	Hen's breast
	Epsilon	2.6	Gienah	Right wing
	Pi	3.8	Azelfafage	Horse's foot? or tail of the hen
Delphinus, the Dolphin (AKA Job's Coffin)	Alpha	3.7	Sualocin	Reverse anagram for Nicolaus, first name of assistant astronomer at Palermo
	Beta	3.5	Rotanev	Reverse anagram for Venator, last name of assistant astronomer at Palermo
Equuleus, the Little Horse	Alpha	3.9	Kitalpha	The part of the horse (but I don't know what part)
Eridanus, the River	Alpha	0.4 [#8]	Achernar	River's end (Arabic)
	Beta	2.8	Cursa	Footstool (of Orion) (Arabic)
	Gamma	2.9	Zaurak	Bright star of the boat (Arabic)
	Eta	3.8	Azha	Hatching place (Arabic)
	Theta	3.2	Acamar	River's end (Arabic)
Gemini, the Twins	Alpha	1.5	Castor	proper name of the mortal twin (a horse tamer) (Greek)
	Beta	1.1	Pollux	proper name of the immortal twin (a boxer) (Greek)
	Gamma	1.9	Alhena	Brand or mark
	Delta	3.5	Wasat	The middle
	Epsilon	3.0	Mebsuta	Outstretched paw (fist)
	Zeta	3.7 to 4.2	Mekbuda	Drawn in paw (fist)
	Eta	3.2	Propus	Projecting foot
Grus, the Crane	Alpha	1.7	Al Nair	The bright one (Arabic)
Hercules (AKA the Kneeler) [Not all named stars are visible in Southern latitudes.]	Alpha	2.7 to 4.0	Rasalgethi	Head of the kneeler
	Beta	2.7	Kornephoros	Club bearer
Hydra, the Sea Serpent	Alpha	2.0	Alphard; Cor Hydra	Solitary one (Arabic); Heart of the Hydra (Latin)
Leo, the Lion	Alpha	1.3	Regulus; Cor Leonis	Little king (Latin); Heart of the lion (Latin)
	Beta	2.1	Denebola	Lion's tail (Arabic)
	Gamma	2.2	Algieba	Lion's main (Arabic)
	Delta	2.5	Zozma	Girdle (Greek)
	Epsilon	2.9	Ras Elased	Lion's head (Arabic)
	Zeta	3.4	Adhafera	Curl
	Theta	3.3	Chort; Chertan	Small ribs
Lepus , the Hare	Alpha	2.5	Arneb	Hare (Arabic)
	Beta	2.8	Nihal	Camels quenching their thirst (Arabic)
Libra, the Balance (AKA The Claws)	Alpha	2.7	Zubenelgenubi	Southern claw (Arabic)
	Beta	2.6	Zubeneschamali	Nothern claw (Arabic)
Lyra, the Lyre	Alpha	0.0 [#5]	Vega	Falling eagle (Arabic)
	Beta	3.4	Sheliak	Tortoise (Persian)
	Gamma	3.2	Sulaphat	Tortoise
Octans, the Octant	Sigma	5.4	Polaris Australis	Southern Pole star (Latin)
Ophiuchus, the Snake Charmer and Physician (AKA The Witch Doctor, 13th Sign of the Zodiac)	Alpha	2.0	Rasalhague	Head of the snake charmer (Arabic)
	Beta	2.7	Cebelrai, or Cheleb	Heart/Dog of the shepherd [the Arabic word "kalb," from which both forms of the name are corruptions, means both heart and dog.]
	Delta	2.7	Yed Prior	Hand before (Arabic/Latin)
	Epsilon	3.2	Yed Post	Hand behind (Arabic/Latin)
	Eta	2.4	Sabik	Proceeding one, Driver (Arabic)
Orion, the Hunter	Alpha	0.5 [#9]	Betelgeuse	Armpit of the giant (Arabic)
	Beta	0.1 [#6]	Rigel	Foot (leg)
	Gamma	1.6	Belletrix, Amazon star	Female warrior
	Delta	2.2	Mintaka	Belt
	Epsilon	1.7	Alnilam	Buckle; string of pearls (Arabic)
	Zeta	1.9	Alnitak	Girdle (Arabic)
	Eta	3.8/4.8	Algjebbeh	Lion's mane or head? (Arabic)
	Iota	2.7	Nairal Sait	Bright one of the sword (Arabic)
	Kappa	2.0	Saiph	Sword (Arabic)
	Lambda	3.5	Meissa, or Heka	Proud marcher, or White spot (Arabic)
Pegasus, the Flying Horse	Alpha	2.5	Markab	Saddle (Arabic)
	Beta	2.4	Scheat	Upper leg (Arabic)
	Gamma	2.8	Algenib	Wing (Arabic)
	Epsilon	2.3	Enif	Nose (Arabic)
	Zeta	3.4	Homam	Hero's lucky star; whisper
	Eta	2.9	Matar	Fortunate Rain? Knee?
	Theta	3.5	Biham	Luck of the flock (Arabic)
	Mu	3.4	Sadalbari	Luck of the beast? (Arabic)
Perseus, the Rescuer (AKA The Demon's Head Holder) [Not all named stars are visible in Southern latitudes.]	Alpha	1.8	Mirphak	Elbow (Arabic)
	Beta	2.1 to 3.4	Algol; Demon star	Demon's head (Arabic)
Pisces, the Fishes, or String of Fish	Alpha	4.3	Al Rischa, or the Knot Star	Cord (Arabic)
Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish	Alpha	1.1	Fomalhaut	Mouth of the fish (Arabic)
Puppis, the Argo's Poop Deck	Zeta	2.2	Naos	Dwelling, ship's temple chamber (Greek)
Sagittarius, the Archer (AKA The Teapot)	Alpha	3.9	Rukbat	Tip of the arrow (Arabic)
	Beta 1 and Beta 2	4.3; 4.5	Arkab	Hamstring (Arabic)
	Gamma	3.0	Alnasl	The point (Arabic)
	Delta	2.7	Kaus Media	Middle of the bow (Arabic/Latin)
	Epsilon	1.8	Kaus Australis	Southern part of the bow (Arabic/Latin)
	Zeta	2.6	Ascella	Armpit
	Lambda	2.8	Kaus Borealis (Arabic/Latin)	Northern part of the bow
	Sigma	2.0	Nunki	Voice of the Sea
Scorpius, the Scorpion	Alpha	0.9	Antares	Rival of Mars (not Mars?) (Greek)
	Beta	2.6	Graffias, Acrab	Crab (Greek)
	Delta	2.9	Dshubba	Front; forehead (Arabic)
	Lambda	1.6	Shaula	The sting (Arabic)
Serpens, the Snake Split in Two	Alpha	2.6	Unukalhai	Neck of the snake
Taurus, the Bull	Alpha	0.8	Aldebaran	Hindmost follower (of the Pleaides) [Brightest star in the open cluster called the Hyades
	Beta	1.6	Elnath	Horn; Butting one
	Epsilon	3.5	Ain	Eye (Arabic)
	Eta	2.8	Alcyone; Solstice Star	Kingfisher (Greek). Brightest of the stars in the Pleiades open cluster. With the naked eye 6 or 7 of the Pleiades can be made out on a very clear night. 9 or 10, however, have been given names. Others include Asterope, Celaeno, Electra, Maia, Merope, Sterope, Taygeta, Pleione (the mother of the Pleiades), and Atlas (their father).
Triangulum, the Triangle	Alpha	3.4	Rasal Muthallah, Metallah, or Challah	Head of the triangle, the triangle, or a loaf of bread(?)
Virgo, the Young Maid	Alpha	0.9	Spica	Ear of wheat (Latin)
	Beta	3.6	Zavijava	Kennel of the howling dogs (Arabic)
	Gamma	2.7	Porrima	Goddess of childbirth and children's destiny (Latin)
	Epsilon	2.8	Vindemiatrix	Grape gatherer (Latin)

Notes about this list and star names:

I have not seen two lists of star names (compiled by different people) that are the same. Different lists include different stars. Sometimes the differences in names are only minor changes in spelling or transliteration of Arabic words. Other times there are different names for the same stars, or, more troubling, the same name for different stars. There are several reasons for the discrepances. The chief probably is that popular names were never universally accepted and have largely fallen into disuse.

Not all constellations appear in one or the other tables, since some constellations have no named stars.

Sources consulted:

Books

1. Burnham, Robert. Burnham's Celestial Handbook. Celestial Handbook, 1966.

An amazing amount of celestial information is included in this old war-horse, but relatively little about star names.

2. Hirshfeld, Alan and Roger W. Sinnolt. Sky Catalogue 2000.0. Cambridge and Sky, 1982.

A table of the most common star names is included.

3. Jobes, Gertrude, and James Jobes. Outer Space: Myths, Name Meanings, Calendars. Scarecrow, 1964.

A real quirky typewritten book with oodles of information about constellations and stars, their names, stories, and meanings, from many different cultures.

4. Pasachoff, Jay M., and Donald H. Menzel. A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets. 3d Edition. Houghton Mifflin, 1992.

   The most common star names are included in the table of star data.

5. Rey, H. A. The Stars : A New Way to See Them. Enlarged world-wide edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1988.

   In creating the images, I have borrowed (and in a few cases adapted) the schematics designed by the creator of Curious George. He first wrote the book over forty years ago, and it is still in print. Because Rey drew lines to make easily recognizable patterns, he often turned the old patterns around. As a result the meaning of many stars names do not match his pictographs. For example, Enif, in Pegasus, means "Nose," but in Rey's rendering of Pegasus, Enif is found at one of the horse's hind feet.

6. Ridpath, Ian. Norton's 2000.0: Star Atlas and Reference Handbook. Longman, 1989.

   Includes a list of the most common star names.

Other Constellation and Star Name Web sites

1. Clarke, R. M. The Salopian Web: Guide to The Constellations of the Night Sky Mythology & Facts.

   Brief details about principal stars and other celestial features within all 88 constellations, plus summaries of stories or mythological tales involving them. One of the few other sites with star names listed in the maps (I had not seen this site before I began my own mapmaking, but, fortunately, we are mostly consistent).

2. Dibon-Smith, Richard. The Constellations.

   "All kinds of information about all 88 constellations," including narratives from the Greek myths and astronomical details about the stars. Many of the names of the brightest stars are included, but it does seek to be comprehensive in this regard. There are clear star maps of each constellation.

3. Dolan, Chris. The Constellations and their Stars.

   Much more detail about the stars than you will find on this page. I especially like his java-powered movable and rotatable star chart.

4. Constellations, from the Peoria Astronomical Society.

   This site has nice star charts and many details about stars. Some star names are included, but that is not an emphasis.

5. Heavens-Above

   Primarily useful for tracking down good times to try to see the space junk humans have sent up (check out Mir before its too late), this site also has a very complete section of information on constellations and their stars. I've set these coordinates for Christchurch. You'll have to set your own.

Stargazing Guides

• Astronomy Magazine: Starry Sky, one of many of its guides and resources
• Sky and Telescope has an interactive sky chart.
• The Abrams Planatarium in Michigan features a Skywatcher's Diary for each month.
• StarDate's Weekly Tips and monthly Sky Almanac are both good guides for sky watchers.
• Hal Kibbey's StarTrak provides viewing tips on a monthly basis.
• Earth and Sky; a syndicated radio program, has a skywatching center.
• SEDS (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space) Internet Headquarters is full of space and astronomy resources, and was birthplace of Bill Arnett's The Nine 8 Planets; a multimedia tour of the solar system.
• Here is the current phase of the moon (Courtesy of the USNO's Astronomical Applications Department):

  

Astronomical Images

• Astronomy Picture of the Day, from NASA and a bunch of other folks, features a different image or photograph each day, along with a professional astronomer's brief explanation written of it.
• Astronomy Digital Image Library provides "research-ready" astronomical images. The site comes from NCSA -- the inventors of Mosaic.
• Solar System Views provides pictures and movies of the objects in our solar system, plus information, history, and astronomical trivia.
• NASA has an interesting solar system simulator which will create a color image of a planet or satellite.
• Space Weather: Forecasts, news and information about the Sun-Earth environment formulated by science journalist Tony Phillips, and, yes, astronomical images.
• Hundreds of public pictures created through the Hubble Space Telescope can be found at the Space Telescope Science Institute Home Page

This page maintained by: John R. Henderson (jhenderson@ithaca.edu), Ithaca College.
Thanks to Liz Smith for her suggestions in compiling the astronomy links.
Last modified: February 3, 2007
URL: http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/starss.html