Star-Name Flashcards

Most bright-star names are Arabic — carried into European atlases through Al-Sufi's charts. Click a card to flip it.

Aldebaran

الدَّبَران

“The follower” — it follows the Pleiades across the sky

Constellation: Taurus — the bull's red eye

Algol

رأس الغول

“The demon's head” — Medusa's blinking eye

Constellation: Perseus

Deneb

ذَنَب الدجاجة

“The hen's tail” — tail of the celestial swan

Constellation: Cygnus — Summer Triangle

Altair

النسر الطائر

“The flying eagle”

Constellation: Aquila — Summer Triangle

Vega

النسر الواقع

“The swooping eagle”, wings folded in its dive

Constellation: Lyra — Summer Triangle

Betelgeuse

يد الجوزاء

“The hand of al-Jawzāʾ” — mangled by medieval Latin into Betelgeuse

Constellation: Orion — the red shoulder

Rigel

رِجل الجبار

“The giant's foot”

Constellation: Orion

Fomalhaut

فم الحوت

“The fish's mouth”, drinking Aquarius's stream

Constellation: Piscis Austrinus

Alphard

الفَرْد

“The solitary one” — alone in an empty region

Constellation: Hydra's heart

Alphecca

الفَكَّة

“The broken ring” — brightest gem of the crown's open circle

Constellation: Corona Borealis

Zubenelgenubi

الزُّبانى الجنوبية

“The southern claw” — memory of the scorpion's amputated claws

Constellation: Libra

Canopus

سُهَيْل

Desert travellers' southern beacon; second-brightest star of the night

Constellation: Carina — keel of Argo