SkyEye: (Un)Common Star Names

Alternative Names

Many of the stars appearing in the IAU-approved list originally had other names which were used in times past. Other stars still await an officially sanctioned title.

Name	Designation	Official Name(s)	Derivation		Meaning	Sources
Abhijit	α Lyr, β Lyr, ζ Lyr	Sheliak (β), Vega (α)		[Sanskrit]	the victorious	4
Achr al Achbiya	ζ Aqr		akhir al‑khibāʾ	[Arabic]	the last tent	3
Adfar Aldib	ω Dra, 27 Dra		aẓfār al‑dhiʾb	[Arabic]	the claws of the wolf	4,7,9
Aggia	η Oph, θ Oph, ξ Oph	Sabik (η)		[Coptic]	the magician	4,7
Akfa Farkadain	ζ UMi		akhfā al‑farqadān	[Arabic]	the dim one of the two calves	4,7
Al Adud	δ Per, ε Per, ν Per		al‑aḍdud al‑thurayyā	[Arabic]	the upper arm of al‑Thurayyā	9
Al Aghnam	κ Cep, π Cep		al‑aghnām	[Arabic]	the flock of sheep	4,7
Alahakan	ψ¹ Dra, χ Dra	Dziban (ψ¹)	al‑ʿawhaqān	[Arabic]	the two black bulls	4,7,9
Al Anisan	α Ari, β Ari	Mothallah (α)	al‑anīsān	[Arabic]	the two companions	9
Albulan	ε Aqr, μ Aqr, ν Aqr	Albali (ε)	al-bāliʿ	[Arabic]	the swallower	4,7
Al Butain	ε Ari, ζ Ari, π Ari, ρ Ari		al‑buṭayn	[Arabic]	the belly	4,7
Al Dafirah	γ Com		al‑ḍafīra	[Arabic]	the tuft of hair in the tail of the lion	4,7,9
Al Dayqa	κ^1–2 Tau, υ Tau		al‑ḍayqa	[Arabic]	the narrows	9
Al Dhira	γ Per, η Per, τ Per	Miram (η)	al‑dhirāʿ	[Arabic]	the forearm of al‑Thurayyā	9
Al Faqar	ε Sco, ζ^1–2 Sco, η Sco, θ Sco, ι^1–2 Sco, κ Sco, μ^1–2 Sco	Larawag (ε), Pipirima (μ²), Sargas (θ), Xamidimura (μ¹)	al‑faqār	[Arabic]	the segments	9
Algenubi	ε Leo		raʾas ul‑asad ul‑janūbiy	[Arabic]	the southern star in the head of the lion	4,7
Alhaud	θ UMa, τ UMa, υ UMa, φ UMa, 15 UMa, 18 UMa, 23 UMa		al‑ḥauḍ	[Arabic]	the pond	4,7
Al Hayya	α Dra, κ Dra, λ Dra, 10 Dra	Giausar (λ), Thuban (α)	al‑ḥayya	[Arabic]	the serpent	9
Alhiba	λ Aur, μ Aur, σ Aur		al‑khibāʾ	[Arabic]	the tent	4,7
Al Jabhah	η Leo		al‑jabha	[Arabic]	the forehead	4,7
Al Kaff al Jidhmah	δ Cet, μ Cet, ξ^1–2 Cet		al‑kaff al‑jadhmāʾ	[Arabic]	the part of a hand	4,7
Alkafzah	χ UMa		al‑qafza al‑thālitha	[Arabic]	the third leap of the gazelles	4,7
Alkalbain	κ^1–2 Tau, υ Tau, φ Tau, χ Tau		al‑kalbān	[Arabic]	the two dogs	4,7,9
Al Kidr	θ Cep		al‑qidr	[Arabic]	the pot	4,7
Alkiladah	ψ Sgr		al‑kilāda	[Arabic]	the necklace	4,7
Al Kumm	ο^1–2 Ori		al‑kumm	[Arabic]	the sleeve	4,7
Al Mabid	σ Per		al‑maʾbiḍ	[Arabic]	the pit of the elbow of al‑Thurayyā	9
Al Malaf	γ Crt, δ Crt, ε Crt, ζ Crt, η Cet, θ Crt		al‑maʾlaf	[Arabic]	the manger	9
Al Marfak	μ Cas		al‑mirfaq	[Arabic]	the elbow	4,7
Almizan	δ Aql, η Aql, θ Aql		al‑mīzān	[Arabic]	the scale-beam	4,7
Al Nasaq	ι Her		al‑nasaq	[Arabic]	the boundary	9
Al Naymat	θ Cet, τ Cet, υ Cet		al‑naʿāmāt	[Arabic]	the hen ostriches	4,7,9
Alnitham	φ^1–4 Cet		al‑niẓām	[Arabic]	the string of pearls	4,7
Alanisan	α Ari, β Ari	Mothallah (α)	al‑anīsān	[Arabic]	the two companions	9
Alrial	β Phe, γ Phe, κ Phe, μ Phe, ν Phe		al‑riʾāl	[Arabic]	the young ostriches	4,7,9
Al Sabyk al Aoul	ζ Oph		as‑sābiq al‑awwal	[Arabic]	the first preceding one	3
Alsad	ζ Aqr		al‑saʿad	[Arabic]	the fortunate	4,7
Al Salib	ε Del		al‑ʿamūd al‑ṣalīb	[Arabic]	the pillar of the cross	4,7
Al Sharasif	β Hya, κ Hya		al‑sharāsīf	[Arabic]	the tethered camels	4,7,9
Al Suradan	α Ind, α Pav	Peacock (α)	al‑ṣuradān	[Arabic]	the two shrikes	9
Al Taj	π^1–2,4–6 Ori		al‑tāj	[Arabic]	the crown	4,7
Al Thalimain	ι Aql, λ Aql		al‑thalīmain	[Arabic]	the two ostriches	4,7
Althiba	ο UMa, π UMa, ρ UMa, σ UMa, 2 UMa, 24 UMa	Muscida (ο)	al‑ẓibāʾ	[Arabic]	the gazelles	4,7,9
Aludhi	ρ^1–3 Eri		al‑udḥā al‑naʿām	[Arabic]	the ostrich nest	4,7,9
Al Ukud	α Del, β Del, γ Del, δ Del	Rotanev (β), Sualocin (α)	al‑ʿuqūd	[Arabic]	the pearls	4,7
Alwaid	β Dra, γ Dra, μ Dra, ν Dra, ξ Dra	Alrakis (μ), Eltanin (γ), Grumium (ξ), Rastaban (β)	al‑ʿawāʾidh	[Arabic]	the mother camels	4,7,9
Al Zara	ο² CMa		al‑ʿadhārā	[Arabic]	the maiden	4,7
Anthelme's Star	CK Vul				a possible 'red nova' (stellar merger), discovered by V. Anthelme in 1670
Anwa Farkadain	η UMi		anwār al‑farqadān	[Arabic]	the lights of the two calves	4,7
Aoul al Naamet	η Cet		awwal al‑naʿām	[Arabic]	the first ostrich	3
Aoul al Sadirah	φ Sgr		awwal al‑naʿām al‑ṣādira	[Arabic]	the first returning ostrich	3
Argelander's Second Star	Gliese 411				a star with a high proper motion, discovered by F.W. Argelander in 1857
Argelander's Star	Groombridge 1830				a star with a high proper motion, discovered by F.W. Argelander in 1841	4
Arsh al Jauzah	α Lep, β Lep, γ Lep, δ Lep	Arneb (α), Nihal (β)	ʿarsh al‑jawzāʾ	[Arabic]	the throne of al‑Jawzāʾ	4,7,9
Athafi	σ Dra, τ Dra, υ Dra	Alsafi (σ)	al‑athāfī	[Arabic]	the trivet stones	4,7,9
Athafi	α Lyr, ε^1–2 Lyr, ζ¹ Lyr	Vega (α)	al‑athāfī al‑qidr	[Arabic]	the trivet stones	4,9
Athafi	λ Ori, φ^1‐2 Ori	Meissa (λ)	al‑athāfī	[Arabic]	the trivet stones	4,9
Athfar	μ Lyr		al‑aṭhfār	[Arabic]	the talons	4,7
Atik	ζ Per, ο Per	Atik (ο)	al‑ʿātiq ath‑thurayyā	[Arabic]	the shoulder blade of al‑Thurayyā (with ο Per)	6,7,8
Aulad Alnathlat	ψ Boo		al‑awlād al‑nadhlāt	[Arabic]	the mean little ones	4,7
Aulad Althiba	θ Boo, ι Boo, κ Boo, λ Boo	Xuange (λ)	awlād al‑ḍibāʿ	[Arabic]	the wolf cubs	4,9
Azfar Aldhib	ω Dra, 27 Dra		aẓfār al‑ḍibāʿ	[Arabic]	the claws of the wolf	4,9
Ba	ε Ser		Bā	[Chinese]	an ancient Chinese state	2,4
Babcock's Star	VL Lac				a star with an unusually large magnetic field, discovered by H.W. Babcock in 1960
Baigua	ε Del, η Del, θ Del, ι Del, κ Del	Aldulfin (ε)	Bài Guā	[Chinese]	the rotten gourd	2,4
Baten Kentaurus	ζ Cen		al‑nayyir al‑buṭayn qanṭūris	[Arabic]	the bright one in the belly of the centaur	4,7
Becklin‑Neugebauer Object	V2254 Ori				an infrared source in the Orion Nebula, discovered by E.E. Becklin and G. Neugebauer in 1965
Bessel's Star	61 Cyg				a nearby star whose parallax was measured by F.W. Bessel in 1838
Bidelman's Helium Variable Star	V761 Cen				a magnetic helium variable emission-line star, discovered by W.P. Bidelman in 1965
Bidelman's Peculiar Star	KS Per				an extreme helium star, discovered by W.P. Bidelman in 1950
Blaze Star	T CrB				a recurrent nova which reached magnitude +2.5 in 1866	4,7
Bodu	95 Her, 102 Her		Bó Dù	[Chinese]	the textile ruler
Bond's Flare Star	AF Psc				a flare star, discovered by H.E. Bond in 1976
Boyajian's Star, Tabby's Star	KIC 8462852				a star with a strange irregular light curve, discovered by T.S. Boyajian and others in 2016
Bulqayn	τ Pup		bulqayn	[Arabic]		9
Butler's Flare Star					a flare star, discovered by C.J. Butler in 1966
Caffau's Star	SDSS J102915.14+172927.9				an ancient ultra-metal-poor star, discovered by E. Caffau in 2011
Calx	μ Gem		calx	[Latin]	the heel	4,7
Campbell's Star	HD 184738				a Wolf-Rayet star, discovered by W.W. Campbell in 1898
Cayrel's Star	BD−16 251				an ancient ultra-metal-poor star, discovered by R. Cayrel with others in 2001
Ce	γ Cas		Cè	[Chinese]	the whip	2,4
Cè	α Lep, β Lep, γ Lep, δ Lep	Arneb (α), Nihal (β)	Cè	[Chinese]	the toilet	2,4
Ceginus	φ Boo				corrupted transliteration of the Greek name for Boötes	4,7
Chanal's Object	V1118 Ori				an LX Lupi-type pre-main-sequence star, discovered by R. Chanal in 1983
Changsha	ζ Crv		Cháng Shā	[Chinese]	an ancient Chinese state	2,4
Chesi	υ Oph, 20 Oph		Chē Sì	[Chinese]	the commodity market
Cheqi	ζ Lup, ρ Lup, σ Lup		Chē Qí	[Chinese]	the chariots and cavalry
Chevremont's Star					a variable star in globular cluster M2, discovered by A. Chevremont in 1897
Chu	α Ara		Chū	[Chinese]	the pestle	2,4
Chu	φ Cap		Chŭ	[Chinese]	an ancient Chinese state
Circitores	ε UMi		circitores	[Latin]	the circlers	4,7
Congguan	92 Leo		Cóng Guān	[Chinese]	the retinue	2
Dabih Minor	β² Cap		saʿd al‑dhābiḥ / minor	[Arabic/Latin]	the lesser lucky star of the slaughterer	1,4,7
Dahlgren's Nova	V533 Her				a nova, discovered by E. Dahlgren in 1963
Deneb Algenubi	η Cet		dhanab ul‑janūbiy	[Arabic]	the southern tail	4,7
Deneb Okab	ε Aql, ζ Aql		dhanab al‑oḳāb	[Arabic]	the tail of the eagle	4,5,7
Dhanishta	α Del, β Del, γ² Del, δ Del	Rotanev (β), Sualocin (α)		[Sanskrit]	the most famous	4
Djenubi Djebha al Asad	η Leo		ul‑janūbiy al‑jabha al‑asad	[Arabic]	the southern star in the forehead of the lion	3
Djenubi Menkib al Nesr	δ Aql		ul‑janūbiy al‑mankib al‑nasr	[Arabic]	the southern shoulder of the vulture	3
Djenubi Ras al Asad	ε Leo		ul‑janūbiy raʾas ul‑asad	[Arabic]	the southern star in the head of the lion	3,4
Dolones	ψ^1–9 Aur, 16 Lyn		dolones	[Latin]	the pike	4,7
Donghai	η Ser		Dōng Hăi	[Chinese]	the eastern sea	2,4
Dongxian	φ Oph, χ Oph, ψ Oph, ω Oph		Dōng Xián	[Chinese]	the eastern door	2,4
Douxiu	ζ Sgr, λ Sgr, μ Sgr, σ Sgr, τ Sgr, φ Sgr	Ascella (ζ), Kaus Borealis (λ), Nunki (σ), Polis (μ)	Dŏu Xiù	[Chinese]	the dipper mansion	2
Dunwan	φ² Lup		Dùn Wán	[Chinese]	the trials	2
Dzaneb al Samkat	ω Psc		dhanab al‑samaka	[Arabic]	the tail of the fish	3
Elacrab	γ Sco		al‑ʿaqrab	[Arabic]	the scorpion	4,5
Fekhyz al Djathih al Aisr	ι Her	al‑fakhidh ul‑jāthi lʾaysar		[Arabic]	the thigh of the kneeler	3
Fenmu	δ Aqr, ζ Aqr, η Aqr, π Aqr	Sadachbia (δ)	Fén Mù	[Chinese]	the tomb	2
Fuer	σ² Tau		Fù Ĕr	[Chinese]	the whisper	2
Fum al Faras	ν Peg		fum al‑faras	[Arabic]	the mouth of the horse	4,7
Fum al Hut	β PsA		fum al‑ḥūt	[Arabic]	the mouth of the southern fish	4,7
Garafsa	θ Oph			[Persian]	the serpent tamer	4,7
Gedao	δ Cas, ε Cas, ι Cas, μ Cas, ν Cas, ο Cas	Ruchbah (δ), Segin (ε)	Gé Dào	[Chinese]	the flying corridor
Genghe	ε Boo, ρ Boo, σ Boo,	Izar (ε)	Gĕng Hé	[Chinese]	the celestial lance	2,4
Girtab	ι Sco		GIR.TAB	[Sumerian]	the scorpion	4,7
Gorgonea Quarta	ο Per		gorgonea quarta	[Latin]	the (fourth star in the) head of the Gorgon	4,7
Gorgonea Secunda	π Per		gorgonea secunda	[Latin]	the (second star in the) head of the Gorgon	4,7
Gorgonea Tertia	ρ Per		gorgonea tertia	[Latin]	the (third star in the) head of the Gorgon	4,7
Gouchen	α UMi, δ UMi, ε UMi, ζ UMi, 2 UMi	Polaris (α), Yildun (δ)	Gōu Chén	[Chinese]	the curved array	2,4
Gouyin	ω^1–2 Sco		Gōu Yín	[Chinese]	the lock	2,4
Grassias	ξ Sco		Γραψαῖος	[Greek]	the crab	4,7
Guansuo	α CrB, β CrB, γ CrB, δ CrB, ε CrB, θ CrB, ι CrB, π CrB, ρ CrB	Alphecca (α), Nusakan (β)	Guàn Suŏ	[Chinese]	the coiled throng	2,4
Gui	γ Ara, δ Ara, ε¹ Ara, ζ Ara, η Ara		Guī	[Chinese]	the tortoise
Han	35 Cap		Hàn	[Chinese]	an ancient Chinese state
Hasta	α Crv, β Crv, γ Crv, δ Crv, ε Crv	Alchiba (α), Algorab (δ), Gienah (γ), Kraz (β)	hásta	[Sanskrit]	the hand	4
Hejian	γ Her		Hé Jīn	[Chinese]	between the river	4
Heka	φ¹ Ori		al‑haqʿa	[Arabic]	the hair whorl	4,7,8,9
Heng	μ Cen, ν Cen, φ Cen, χ Cen		Héng	[Chinese]	the railings
Herschel's Garnet Star	μ Cep				a star with a deep red colour observed by F.W. Herschel	1,4,8
Herschel's Ruby Star	RT Cap				a carbon star observed by J.F. Herschel
Hika	φ² Ori		al‑haqʿa	[Arabic]	the hair whorl	4,7,8,9
Hind's Crimson Star	R Lep				a red carbon star observed by J.R. Hind	4,7
Hougong	4 UMi		Hòu Gōng	[Chinese]	the imperial harem	2,4
Huben	72 Leo		Hŭ Bēn	[Chinese]	the emperor's bodyguard	2
Hugua	α Del, β Del, γ Del, δ Del, ζ Del	Rotanev (β), Sualocin (α)	Hù Guā	[Chinese]	the gourd	2,4
Hulse‑Taylor Pulsar	PSR 1913+16				a binary pulsar, discovered by R.A. Hulse and J.H. Taylor in 1974
Ibrat Al Mirfak	ψ Per		ibrat al‑mirfaq	[Arabic]	the tip of the elbow of al‑Thurayyā	9
Innes' Star	GJ 422				a star with a high proper motion, discovered by R.T.A. Innes in 1920
Isis	μ CMa		Isis	[Egyptian]	the name of the Egyptian goddess	4,7
Jabhat Acrabi	ω^1–2 Sco		jabhat al‑ʿaqrab	[Arabic]	the forehead of the scorpion	4,7
Jian	ξ² Sgr, ο Sgr, π Sgr, ρ¹ Sgr, υ Sgr, 43 Sgr	Albaldah (π)	Jiàn	[Chinese]	the establishment	2
Jiantai	β Lyr, γ Lyr, δ² Lyr, ι Lyr	Sheliak (β), Sulafat (γ)	Jiàn Tái	[Chinese]	the clepsydra terrace	2,4
Jin	36 Cap		Jìn	[Chinese]	an ancient Chinese state	2,4
Jishi	π Per		Jī Shī	[Chinese]	the piled-up corpses	2
Jishui	λ Per		Jī Shuĭ	[Chinese]	the stored water	2,4
Jiuhe	μ Her		Jiŭ Hé	[Chinese]	the nine rivers	2,4
Jixin	κ Gem		Jī Xīn	[Chinese]	the piled-up firewood	2,4
Jixiu	γ Sgr, δ Sgr, ε Sgr, η Sgr	Alnasl (γ), Kaus Australis (ε), Kaus Media (δ)	Jī Xìu	[Chinese]	the winnowing basket
Jizu	η Lup, θ Lup		Jī Zú	[Chinese]	the group of soldiers
Junjing	ι Lep, κ Lep, λ Lep, ν Lep		Jūn Jĭng	[Chinese]	the miliary well	2,4
Junnanmen	φ And		Jūn Nán Mén	[Chinese]	the southern military gate	2,4
Kabalinan	ι Aur		al‑ḳaʿb dhiʿl ʿinān	[Arabic]	the heel of the rein-holder	4,7
Kalbalfird	α Cep, β Cep, η Cep	Alderamin (α), Alfirk (β)	al‑kawākib al‑firḳ	[Arabic]	the stars of the flock	7
Kalbalrai	ρ Cep		kalb al‑rāʿī	[Arabic]	the dog of the shepherd	4,7,9
Kang	45 Oph		Kāng	[Chinese]	the chaff
Kapteyn's Star	VZ Pic				a star with a high proper motion, discovered by J.C. Kapteyn in 1897
Keff al Salsalat	ι And		kaf al‑musalsala	[Arabic]	the palm of the chained woman	3
Kepler's Supernova	SN 1604				a supernova which was described by J. Kepler in 1604
Kissin	UU Com			[Latin]	a species of ivy or convolvulus	4,7
Koleon	μ Ari			[Coptic]	the belly	4
Krzemiński's Star	V779 Cen				an x-ray binary star, discovered by W. Krzemiński in 1974
Kuma	ν Dra					5
Kursi al Jabbar	γ Lep		kursīy al‑jabbār	[Arabic]	the chair of the giant	4,7
Kursi al Jauzah	β Eri, λ Eri, ψ Eri, τ Her	Cursa (β)	kursī al‑jawzāʾ al‑muqaddam	[Arabic]	the front footstool of al‑Jawzāʾ	4,7,8,9
Kurud	θ Col, κ Col	Elkurud (θ)	al‑kurud	[Arabic]	the apes	4,7
Kuton	δ Psc, ζ Psc	Revati (ζ)		[Coptic]	the cord	4,7
Kuwano's Object, Kuwano-Honda Object	PU Vul				an eclipsing symbiotic binary star, discovered by Y. Kuwano in 1979 with a pre-discovery detection by M. Honda in 1978
Langjiang	31 Com		Láng Jiāng	[Chinese]	the captain of the bodyguards	2,4
Liesi	σ Ser, λ Oph	Marfik (λ)	Liè Sì	[Chinese]	the jewel market	2,4
Ligong	ι Peg, λ Peg, μ Peg, ο Peg, τ Peg, υ Peg	Alkarab (υ), Sadalbari (μ), Salm (τ)	Lí Gōng	[Chinese]	the resting place	2,4
Lingtai	χ Leo, 58 Leo, 59 Leo		Líng Tái	[Chinese]	the astronomical observatory	2,4
Lisan al Shudja	δ Hya		lisan al‑shujāʿ	[Arabic]	the tongue of the snake	3
Luyten's Star	GJ 273				a star with a high proper motion, discovered by W.J. Luyten and E.G. Ebbinghausen in 1935
Manica	6 Ori		manica	[Latin]	the protecting gauntlet	4,7
Marfak	θ Cas		al‑marfiq	[Arabic]	the elbow	4,7
Menkar	λ Cet		al‑mankhirān	[Arabic]	the nostrils	4
Merkeb	κ Pup		markab	[Arabic]	something to ride	4
Minazal	δ Hya, ε Hya, ζ Hya, η Hya, ρ Hya	Ashlesha (ε)	min al‑azʿal	[Arabic]	belonging to the uninhabited spot	4,7
Mingtang	τ Leo, υ Leo, 87 Leo		Míng Táng	[Chinese]	the cosmological temple	2
Minkar	α Crv, ε Crv	Alchiba (α)	al‑minkhar al‑ghurāb	[Arabic]	the beak of the raven	4,5,7
Minkarasad	κ Leo		al‑mankhirān al‑asad	[Arabic]	the nose of the lion	4,7
Mirfek al Djathih al Aisr	μ Her		al‑mirfaq ul‑jāthi lʾaysar	[Arabic]	the elbow of the kneeler	3
Misam al Thurayya	χ Per, h Per		al‑miʿṣam al‑thurayyā	[Arabic]	the wrist next to al‑Thurayyā	4,7,9
Mizan	β Tri		al‑mīzān	[Arabic]	the scale-beam	4,7
Mizan Batil	θ² Ori, 42 Ori		al‑mīzān al‑baṭīl	[Arabic]	the false scale-beam	4,7
Mrigashirsha	λ Ori, φ^1–2 Ori	Meissa (λ)	mṛgaśiraṣa	[Sanskrit]	the top of the head of the deer	4
Muhlifain	γ Cen		al‑muḥlifān	[Arabic]	one of the two objects causing dispute and the swearing of an oath	7,8
Mula	κ Sco		mūla	[Sanskrit]	the foundation or root	4,7
Namalsadirah	ζ Sgr, σ Sgr, τ Sgr, φ Sgr, χ Sgr	Ascella (ζ), Nunki (σ)	al‑naʿām al‑ṣādir	[Arabic]	the returning ostriches	4,7,9
Namalwarid	γ Sgr, δ Sgr, ε Sgr, η Sgr	Alnasl (γ), Kaus Australis (ε), Kaus Media (δ)	al‑naʿām al‑wārid	[Arabic]	the drinking ostriches	4,7,9
Nanhai	ξ Ser		Nán Hăi	[Chinese]	the southern sea	2,4
Nanmen	α Cen, ε Cen	Rijil Kentaurus (α)	Nán Mén	[Chinese]	the southern gate	2,4
Nasak Shamiya	γ Her, β Ser, γ Ser		al‑nasaq al‑shaʾāmī	[Arabic]	the northern boundary of the pasture	4,7,9
Nasak Yamani	δ Ser, ε Ser		al‑nasaq al‑yamānī	[Arabic]	the southern boundary of the pasture	4,7,9
Nasr Alwaki	ζ^1–2 Lyr		al‑nasr al‑wāqiʿ	[Arabic]	the swooping vulture	4,7
Navi	γ Cas		'Ivan' spelled backwards		named for Apollo 1 astronaut Virgil Ivan 'Gus' Grissom	7,8
Neiping	ν Vir, ξ Vir, ο Vir, π Vir		Nèi Píng	[Chinese]	the inner screen	2,4
Niuxiu	α² Cap, β Cap, ξ² Cap, ο Cap, π Cap, ρ Cap	Algedi (α²), Dabih (β)	Niú Xiù	[Chinese]	the ox mansion	2,4
Nucatai	ν Gem		al‑nuḥātaiʾ	[Arabic]	the hump of the camel	4,7
Nuchuang	π Her, ρ Her, 69 Her		Nŭ Chuáng	[Chinese]	the bed of the woman	2
Pearce's Star	AO Cas				a possible contact binary star, discovered by J.A. Pearce in 1926
Perrson's Star	V733 Cep				an FU Orionis-type pre-main-sequence star, discovered by R. Perrson in 2004
Pherkad Minor	11 UMi		al‑farqad / minor	[Arabic/Latin]	the calf	1,4,7
Pherkard	11 UMi		al‑farqad	[Arabic]	the calf	4,5
Piazzi's Flying Star	61 Cyg				a star with a high proper motion, discovered by G. Piazzi in 1803
Pili	β Psc, γ Psc, θ Psc, ι Psc, ω Psc	Fumalsamakah (β)	Pī Lì	[Chinese]	the thunderbolt	2,4
Ping	γ Hya, π Hya		Píng	[Chinese]	the judging	2
Ping	ε Lep, μ Lep		Píng	[Chinese]	the screen	2,4
Pingdao	θ Vir, 82 Vir		Píng Dào	[Chinese]	the flat road	2,4
Plaskett's Star	V640 Mon				a massive binary star, discovered by J.S. Plaskett in 1921
Popper's Extreme Helium Star	V481 Cen				a helium star, discovered by D.M. Popper in 1942
Primus Asellus	θ Boo		primus asellus	[Latin]	the first ass	4,7
Przybylski's Star	V816 Cen				a star in which holmium was first detected, discovered by A. Przybylski in 1960
Pushya	γ Cnc, δ Cnc, θ Cnc	Assellus Australis (δ), Asselus Borealis (γ)	puṣya	[Sanskrit]	the nourisher	4
Qi	χ Cap		Qí	[Chinese]	an ancient Chinese state	2
Qi	112 Her		Qí	[Chinese]	an ancient Chinese state	2
Qigong	δ Boo, μ¹ Boo, ν¹ Boo, τ Her, φ Her, χ Her, 42 Her	Alkalurops (μ¹)	Qī Gōng	[Chinese]	the seven excellencies	2,4
Qin	δ Ser		Qín	[Chinese]	an ancient Chinese state	2,4
Qizhenjiangjun	κ¹ Lup		Qí Zhèn Jāng Jūn	[Chinese]	the chariot and cavalry general
Rabah al Nahr	ω Eri		rabaʿ	[Arabic]	the fourth [star in the] river	3
Rabah al Waridah	η Sgr		rabaʿ al‑naʿām al‑wārid	[Arabic]	the fourth drinking ostrich	3
Rana Secunda	δ Eri	Rana	rana secunda	[Latin]	the second frog	1,5,7
Rasalasad Australis	ε Leo		raʾas al‑asad	[Arabic/Latin]	the southern part of the head of the lion	1,4,5
Rasalnaqa	ι And, κ And, λ And, ψ And		raʾas al‑nāqa	[Arabic]	the head of the female camel	9
Regor	γ Vel		'Roger' spelled backwards		named for Apollo 1 astronaut Roger Bruce Chaffee	7,8
Rekbet al Djathih al Aisr	θ Her		ar‑rukbah ul‑jāthi lʾaysar	[Arabic]	the knee of the kneeler	3
Revenante of the Swan	P Cyg				the returning star of Cygnus	4,7
Ri	κ Lib		Rì	[Chinese]	the sun	2,4
Rigilawwa	μ Vir		rijl al‑ʿawwāʾ	[Arabic]	the foot of the barker	3,4,7
Roberts‑Altizer Variable	CP Dra				an SU Ursae Majoris-type dwarf nova, discovered by D. Roberts in 1913 and rediscovered by R.J. Altizer in 1972
Rosino's Object, Rosino‑Zwicky Object	AL Com				an SW Sagittae-type dwarf nove, discovered by L. Rosino in 1961 and rediscovered by F. Zwicky in 1965
Ruchba	ω² Cyg		rukbat al‑dajāja	[Arabic]	the knee of the hen	4,7
Sadalmatar	ο Peg		saʿd al‑maṭar	[Arabic]	the lucky star of the rain	4,7,9
Sadalmulk	α Aqr, ο Aqr	Sadalmelik (α)	saʿd al‑malik	[Arabic]	the lucky star of the king	4,7,9
Sadalnazi	λ Peg		saʿd al‑nāziʿ	[Arabic]	the lucky star of the camel striving to get to pasture	4,7
Sadr al Kaitos	ε Cet, π Cet, ρ Cet, σ Cet		ṣadr al‑qayṭus	[Arabic]	the breast of Cetus	4,7
Sadr al Thaur	λ Tau		ṣadr al‑thawr	[Arabic]	the breast of the bull	3
Saif al Jabbar	η Ori		saif al‑jabbār	[Arabic]	the sword of the giant	4,7
Saik	η Oph		sāīḳ	[Arabic]	the driver	4,7
Sakurai's Object	V434 Sgr				a thermal pulse object, discovered by Y. Sakurai in 1996
Sanduleak‑Pesch Binary	WD 1704+481				a trinary white dwarf system, discovered by N. Sanduleak and P. Pesche in 1982
Sanduleak's Star	2MASS J05451956-7116067				a star with the largest stellar jet yet detected, discovered by N. Sanduleak in 1977
Schemali	ι Cet		al‑shaʾāmī	[Arabic]	northern	4,7
Scholz's Star	WISE J072003.20-084651.2				a star which passed through the Oort cloud 70,000 years ago, discovered by R.-D. Scholz in 2013
Seat	π Aqr					4,7
Secunda Giedi	α¹ Cap		secunda / al‑jady	[Latin/Arabic]	the second kid	1,4,7
Secundus Asellus	ι Boo		secundus asellus	[Latin]	the second ass	4,7
Shangcheng	BK Cam		Shàng Chéng	[Chinese]	the first prime minister	2,4
Shangjiang	σ Leo		Shàng Jiàng	[Chinese]	the first western general	2,4
Shangwei	43 Cam		Shàng Wèi	[Chinese]	the first imperial guard	2,4
Shangzai	θ Dra		Shàng Zăi	[Chinese]	the first premier	2,4
Shaobi	υ Dra		Shào Bì	[Chinese]	the second minister
Shaofu	24 UMa		Shào Fŭ	[Chinese]	the second minister	2
Shaowei	α Cam		Shào Wèi	[Chinese]	the second imperial guard	2,4
Shaowei	κ Dra		Shào Wèi	[Chinese]	the second chief judge	2
Shaowei	π Dra		Shào Wèi	[Chinese]	the second imperial guard
Shi	μ Col		Shĭ	[Chinese]	the excrement	2,4
Shuzi	5 UMi		Shù Zĭ	[Chinese]	the son of the concubine	2
Sifei	γ Equ, δ Equ		Sī Fēi	[Chinese]	the judge of right and wrong	2
Siwei	β Equ, 9 Equ		Sī Wēi	[Chinese]	the judge of disaster and good fortune	2,4
Sneden's Star	BPS CS 22892-052				an ancient star with an overabundance of heavy elements, identified by C. Sneden with others in 1994
Stepanian's Star	LX Ser				an SW Sextantis-type cataclysmic eclipsing binary star, discovered by J.A. Stepanian in 1979
Stephenson‑Sanduleak Object	SS 433				the prototype microquasar, discovered by N. Sanduleak and C.B. Stephenson in 1977
Sterope Ⅱ	22 Tau		Στερόπη	[Greek]	the name of one of the Pleiades	4,6,7,8
Suudalnujam	ξ Peg		al‑suʿūd al‑najūm	[Arabic]	the lucky stars	4,7
Tais	δ Dra, ε Dra, π Dra, ρ Dra	Altais (δ)	al‑tinnīn	[Arabic]	the serpent	4,7
Taizi	93 Leo		Tài Zĭ	[Chinese]	the crown prince	2
Taizun	ψ UMa		Tài Zūn	[Chinese]	the royals	4
Tali al Shaulah	μ^1–2 Sco		tāliʿ al‑shawla	[Arabic]	that which follows the raised tail	2,4,7
Teegarden's Star	SO 025300.5+165258				a star with a high proper motion, discovered by B.J. Teegarden in 2003
Tertius Asellus	κ^1–2 Boo		tertius asellus	[Latin]	the third ass	4,7
Thabit	υ Ori		al‑thābit	[Arabic]	the endurer	4,7
Thail	49 And		al‑dhail	[Arabic]	the train of the garment	4,7
Thalath al Naamet	τ Cet		al‑thālitha al‑naʿām	[Arabic]	the third ostrich	3
Thanih ad Adzari	ο² CMa		al‑thānī al‑ʿadhārii	[Arabic]	the second maiden	3
Thanih al Naamet	θ Cet		al‑thānī al‑naʿām	[Arabic]	the second ostrich	3
Thanih Ras al Akab	θ Aql		al‑thānī raʾas al‑oḳāb	[Arabic]	the second (star in the) head of the eagle	3
Thiba	γ Boo, δ Boo, μ Boo	Alkalurops (μ), Seginus (γ)	al‑dhiʾbān	[Arabic]	the wolves	4,7
Tianchan	42 Per		Tiān Chán	[Chinese]	the celestial slander
Tianfu	τ Lib, υ Lib		Tiān Fú	[Chinese]	the celestial spokes	2
Tiangang	δ PsA		Tiān Gāng	[Chinese]	the celestial headrope	2,4
Tianjiu	θ And, ρ And, σ And		Tiān Jiù	[Chinese]	the celestial stable	2
Tianqiang	θ Boo, ι Boo, κ Boo		Tiān Qiāng	[Chinese]	the celestial spear	2,4
Tianru	μ Ser		Tiān Rŭ	[Chinese]	the celestial milk
Tiantian	τ Vir, 78 Vir		Tiān Tián	[Chinese]	the celestial fields	2,4
Tianyu	β For, ν For, ω For		Tiān Yŭ	[Chinese]	the piles of grain	2,4
Trapezium	θ¹ Ori		trapezium	[Latin]	the four-sided figure	4,7
Tusi	98 Her, 109 Her		Tú Sì	[Chinese]	the butcher shops	2,4
Tycho's Supernova	SN 1572				a supernova which was described by Tycho Brahe in 1572
Tyl	ε Dra					5,7
Udra	ο¹ CMa		al‑ʿudhra al‑jawzāʾ	[Arabic]	the maidenhood of al‑Jawzāʾ	4,7,9
Ukdah	τ^1–2 Hya, 33 Hya		al‑ʿuqdah	[Arabic]	the knot	4,7
Vanant	ι² Sco			[Persian]	the stinger	4,7
Van Biesbroeck's Star	V1428 Aql				a low-luminosity star, discovered by G.-A. Van Biesbroeck in 1944
van Maanen's Star	GJ 35				the nearest solitary white dwarf to the Sun, discovered by A. van Maanen in 1917
Variablis Coronae	R CrB		variablis Coronae	[Latin]	the variable star in the constellation Corona Borealis	4,7
Vishakha	α² Lib, β Lib, γ Lib, ι Lib	Zubenelgenubi (α²), Zubenelhakrabi (γ), Zubeneschemali (β)	viśākha	[Sanskrit]	branched or forked	4
Waiping	α Psc, δ Psc, ε Psc, ζ Psc, μ Psc, ν Psc, ξ Psc	Alrescha (α), Revati (ζ)	Wài, Píng	[Chinese]	the outer screen	2,4
Wangliang	α Cas, β Cas, η Cas, κ Cas, λ Cas	Achird (η), Caph (β), Schedar (α)	Wáng Liáng	[Chinese]	named for a demon from Chinese mythology	2,4
Wasat al Achbiya	π Aqr		wasṭ al‑khibāʾ	[Arabic]	the middle tent	3
Wei	33 Cap		Wèi	[Chinese]	an ancient Chinese state
Weixiu	35 Ari, 39 Ari, 41 Ari	Bharani (41), Lilii Borea (39)	Wèi Xiù	[Chinese]	the stomach mansion
Xiang	5 CVn		Xiàng	[Chinese]	the prime minister
Xicijiang	ι Leo		Xī Cì Jiàng	[Chinese]	the second western general	2,4
Xixian	η Lib, θ Lib, 48 Lib, ξ Sco		Xī Xián	[Chinese]	the western door	2,4
Xizhong	θ Cyg, ι² Cyg, κ² Cyg, 16 Cyg		Xī Zhòng	[Chinese]	the legendary Xia dynasty minister who invented the chariot	2
Yan	ζ Cap		Yān	[Chinese]	an ancient Chinese state	2,4
Yangmen	b Cen, c¹ Cen		Yáng Mén	[Chinese]	the gate of Yang	2
Yeji	ν² CMa		Yĕ Jī	[Chinese]	the wild cockerel
Yezhe	16 Vir		Yè Zhĕ	[Chinese]	the usher of the court	2
Yousheti	η Boo, τ Boo, υ Boo	Muphrid (η)	Yòu Shè Tí	[Chinese]	the right conductor	2,4
Yue	19 Cap		Yuè	[Chinese]	an ancient Chinese state
Yue	37 Tau		Yuè	[Chinese]	the moon	2
Yujing	β Eri, λ Eri, ψ Eri, τ Ori	Cursa (β)	Yù Jĭng	[Chinese]	the jade well	2,4
Zaofu	δ Cep, ζ Cep, λ Cep, μ Cep, ν Cep		Zào Fù	[Chinese]	named for a charioteer who lived three millenia ago	2,4
Zheng	20 Cap		Zhèng	[Chinese]	an ancient Chinese state
Zheng	γ Ser		Zhèng	[Chinese]	an ancient Chinese state	4
Zhinu	α Lyr, ε¹ Lyr, ζ¹ Lyr	Vega (α)	Zhī Nŭ	[Chinese]	the weaving girl	2,4
Zhongshan	ο Her		Zhōng Shēn	[Chinese]	the ancient Chinese state
Zhongzheng	β Oph, γ Oph	Cebalrai (β)	Zhōng Zhèng	[Chinese]	the official for the royal clan	2,4
Zhou	β Ser		Zhōu	[Chinese]	a Chinese dynasty	2,4
Zhouding	β Com, 37 Com, 41 Com		Zhōu Dĭng	[Chinese]	the tripod of the Zhou dynasty	2,4
Zhushi	φ Dra		Zhù ShĬ	[Chinese]	the official of the royal archives	2
Zixiu	λ Ori, φ^1–2 Ori	Meissa (λ)	Zī Xiù	[Chinese]	the turtle beak mansion	2,4
Zong	110 Her, 111 Her		Zōng	[Chinese]	the patriarchal clan
Zongren	66 Oph, 67 Oph, 68 Oph, 70 Oph		Zōng Rén	[Chinese]	the official for religious ceremonies
Zubanah	ι Cnc		al‑zubānayā	[Arabic]	the claws	4,7
Zuban al Kravi	η Lib		zubān al‑ʿaqrab	[Arabic]	the claws of the scorpion	4,7
Zuben Elakribi	δ Lib		zubānā al‑ʿaqrab	[Arabic]	the claws of the scorpion	5
Zuben Hakrabi	ν Lib		zubānā al‑ʿaqrab	[Arabic]	the claws of the scorpion	7
Zubra	72 Leo		al‑zubra	[Arabic]	the mane	7
Zuosheti	ζ Boo, ο Boo, π¹ Boo		Zuŏ Shè Tí	[Chinese]	the left conductor	2,4
Zuoxia	η Crv		Zuŏ Xiá	[Chinese]	the left linchpin	2,4

Key

Most of the derivations and meanings of the star names listed above are taken from Adams, Allen, Davis, and Kunitzsch and Smart. Modern Chinese transliterations and meanings are taken from Wikipedia: Chinese Star Names. Corrections are always welcome.

Guiseppe Piazzi, Praecipuarum Stellarum Inerrantium Positiones Mediae Ineunte Saeculo ⅩⅨ (1814)
John Reeves, "Chinese Names of Stars and Constellations", Dictionary of the Chinese Language in Three Parts: Part Ⅱ — Volume Ⅰ by Robert Morrison (1819)
Edward Ball Knobel, "On a Catalogue of Stars in the Calendarium of Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 55, 429–438 (1895)
Richard Hinkley Allen, Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning (Dover reprint) (1963)
Antonín Bečvář, Atlas of the Heavens — Ⅱ Catalogue 1950.0 (1964)
George A. Davis, Jr, Pronunications, Derivations, and Meanings of a Selected List of Star Names (1971)
Jack W. Rhoads, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Technical Memorandum 33-507: A Reduced Star Catalog Containing 537 Named Stars (1971)
Paul Kunitzsch and Tim Smart, A Dictionary of Modern Star Names (Second Revised Edition) (2006)
Danielle K. Adams, Rain Stars Set, Lunar Stations Rise: Multivalent Textures of Pre-Islamic Arabian Astronomy and the Hegemonic Discourse of Order (PhD dissertation) (2018)

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(Un)Common Star Names

What's in a Name?

Alternative Names

Key