Stars

The stars of the night sky. We profile 57 famous stars in depth, with 8,963 more from the naked-eye catalog (3,176 carrying a proper name) beneath them. Start with a famous one, browse the brightest, or search by name.

Famous stars

SiriusBrightest star in the night sky→CanopusSecond-brightest star in the night sky→ArcturusBrightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere→Rigil KentaurusClosest Sun-like star to Earth→VegaHistorical zero point of the magnitude scale→CapellaBrightest star in Auriga→RigelBrightest star in Orion→ProcyonBrightest star in Canis Minor→BetelgeuseNearby red supergiant nearing supernova→AchernarFlattest known star (extreme oblateness)→Hadar11th-brightest star in the night sky→AltairOne of the nearest naked-eye stars; extremely rapid rotator→AcruxBrightest star in the Southern Cross; most southerly first-magnitude star→AldebaranBrightest star in Taurus; the eye of the Bull→SpicaBrightest star in Virgo→AntaresVast red supergiant, the heart of the Scorpion→FomalhautBright nearby star with a famous debris disk→DenebOne of the most intrinsically luminous stars visible to the naked eye→MimosaSecond-brightest star in the Southern Cross→TolimanClosest K-type (orange dwarf) star to Earth→RegulusBrightest star in Leo; spins so fast it is visibly flattened→CastorA single point of light that is actually six stars→BellatrixThe Amazon Star; Orion's closest bright star→AlnilamCentral star of Orion's Belt→AlnitakEasternmost star of Orion's Belt; brightest O-class star in the sky→AlphardBrightest star in Hydra, the largest constellation→PolarisThe North Star; nearest Cepheid to Earth→MizarFamous naked-eye double with Alcor; first telescopic and first spectroscopic double discovered→SaiphMarks Orion's knee; far hotter than Betelgeuse yet looks fainter→RasalhagueBrightest star in Ophiuchus→AlgolThe Demon Star; prototype eclipsing binary that visibly dims every 2.87 days→DenebolaMarks the tail of Leo the Lion→MintakaWesternmost star of Orion's Belt; sits almost on the celestial equator→MiraPrototype of the Mira (long-period) variables→AlbireoFamous gold-and-blue colour-contrast double star→VY Canis MajorisOne of the largest known stars by radius→S DoradusThe prototype luminous blue variable→Tabby's StarStar with unexplained irregular deep dimming events→Sanduleak -69° 202Progenitor of Supernova 1987A→HD 269810Among the most luminous O-type stars, and a runaway→R136a1Most massive star known→R136a2Among the most massive stars known→HV 2112Leading candidate Thorne-Zytkow object→Melnick 42Among the most luminous supergiants known→Melnick 34Most massive binary star known→B324Among the visually brightest stars in the Local Group→VFTS 682A very massive star living almost alone→WOH G64First star outside the Milky Way imaged in close-up→M31N 2008-12aThe fastest-recurring nova known→Romano's StarOne of the most luminous stars in M33→M31-V1The star that proved other galaxies exist→HD 5980A rare Wolf-Rayet and blue-variable pair that erupted in 1994→EarendelMost distant individual star ever seen→IcarusFirst star seen across billions of light-years→GodzillaAmong the most magnified stars ever seen→QuyllurFirst red supergiant seen at cosmological distance→Eta CarinaeOne of the most massive and luminous stars in the Galaxy→

Brightest named stars

Named stars by constellation

Taurus 122 Pisces 98 Hercules 94 Aquarius 92 Virgo 89 Pegasus 88 Ursa Major 87 Leo 85 Cygnus 82 Cetus 78 Draco 76 Eridanus 74 Sagittarius 70 Cancer 68 Gemini 67 Orion 67 Andromeda 66 Hydra 65 Auriga 64 Aquila 62 Ophiuchus 60 Aries 58 Perseus 58 Boötes 56 Serpens 54 Cassiopeia 52 Capricornus 47 Libra 42 Scorpius 42 Coma Berenices 39 Cepheus 36 Lynx 36 Camelopardalis 35 Vulpecula 33 Centaurus 32 Lupus 32 Canis Major 31 Leo Minor 31 Monoceros 30 Fornax 28 Puppis 28 Grus 27 Octans 27 Phoenix 25 Corona Borealis 24 Pavo 24 Canes Venatici 22 Piscis Austrinus 22 Sextans 22 Lyra 21 Sculptor 20 Tucana 20 Delphinus 19 Lepus 19 Hydrus 18 Lacerta 18 Columba 17 Sagitta 17 Ara 16 Chamaeleon 16 Indus 16 Mensa 16 Ursa Minor 15 Corona Australis 14 Dorado 14 Pictor 14 Triangulum 14 Apus 13 Canis Minor 13 Crater 13 Crux 13 Musca 13 Telescopium 13 Volans 13 Microscopium 12 Norma 12 Reticulum 12 Carina 10 Horologium 10 Pyxis 10 Triangulum Australe 10 Vela 10 Antlia 9 Corvus 9 Equuleus 9 Circinus 8 Scutum 7 Caelum 6