Bayer name

The Bayer name is the combination of a Greek letter and the name of a constellation (Alpha Centauri, Epsilon Orionis etc.), used to identify bright stars. This notation was first used by Johan Bayer in 1603. The brightest star in a constellation usually bears the letter Alpha, the next brightest star Beta and so on. Some dim stars have names composed of a lower case letter of the Latin alphabet from a to z or upper case from A to Q (p Eridani, N Velorum etc.) See also Flamsteed number.