Bayer designation facts for kids

The Bayer designation for stars uses Greek letters to assign names to stars. For example:

• α Canis Majoris
• θ Orionis
• ζ Reticuli

It usually starts with the letter alpha (α) assigned to the brightest star in the constellation, then going down the Greek alphabet to assign letters for other stars (beta, gamma, delta, etc.) in order of decreasing brightness.

Images for kids

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  Detail of Bayer's chart for Orion showing the belt stars and Orion Nebula region, with both Greek and Latin letter labels visible

See also

In Spanish: Denominación de Bayer para niños