# Star names & designations

Also called: Bayer designation, Flamsteed number, Greek letter, proper name.

How stars are named: proper names (Vega), Greek letters by brightness (α Lyrae), or numbers (61 Cygni).

Bright stars have traditional names, mostly Arabic in origin: Vega, Altair, Betelgeuse. In 1603 Johann Bayer gave the stars of each constellation Greek letters, roughly by brightness: α Lyrae is Vega, β Cygni is Albireo. John Flamsteed numbered them from west to east: 61 Cygni. Catalogs like the [washington double star catalog](https://astropilot.space/glossary/wds) add their own codes for double stars.

**Examples:** [albireo](https://astropilot.space/object/albireo.md), [61-cygni](https://astropilot.space/object/61-cygni.md), [epsilon-lyrae](https://astropilot.space/object/epsilon-lyrae.md)

**Related:** [Constellation](https://astropilot.space/glossary/constellation.md), [Washington Double Star Catalog](https://astropilot.space/glossary/wds.md), [Double star](https://astropilot.space/glossary/double-star.md)

From the AstroPilot astronomy glossary: https://astropilot.space/glossary/bayer-designation