Transcript: Nearly 2,000 years ago Ptolemy's Almagest, a compendium of astronomical information, contained catalogs of star names. Ancient knowledge was brought to Europe by Arab astronomers who gave names to many of the brightest stars in the sky. The Arab article is al and so we have Algol, Aldebaran, Altair, Alcor, and others. Other stars were named from myths and legends and are often given names associated with the constellation in which they reside. Thus, Alpha Centauri is the first star named in the Centaur constellation; Delta Scuti is the fourth star named in the shield constellation. Other catalogs exist too; T Tauri is the twentieth variable star in the constellation the bull. Astronomers name fainter stars by their coordinates and are given numbers rather than names, and despite what you may read in some parts of the popular press, it’s not possible to exclusively buy a star name. Star names are given by the International Astronomical Union.