Naming the Stars
The stars on the celestial sphere are named in several different
ways. As a result, the brighter stars may have more than one name.
Common Names
Most
of the brighter stars in the sky have common names that are of historical and
mythological significance. Many of these common names are Arabic in origin.
The adjacent right figure lists the common names for some of the
brighter stars in the constellation Orion.
For example, the bright red star in the upper left part
of Orion is called Betelgeuse, which is commonly ascribed to the
Arabic for "armpit (or shoulder) of the mighty one", though the name may instead be a
corruption of the original Arabic.
The brightest star in Orion is a blue-white star called Rigel that
is situated at the opposite corner of the constellation from Betelgeuse. It is also Arabic
in origin, meaning the "left leg of the mighty one".
As another example, the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus
(the Swan) is situated near the aft portion of the animal and is called Deneb,
which is also Arabic in origin and means "the tail of the hen."
Here is a
list of common names for the brighter stars.
