Bayer designation

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 (apparent magnitude).

Bayer Designation Media

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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

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  Orion constellation map