There are currently 16 stars in the catalog of the International Astronomical Union whose names begin with the letter c. Most of these names have Arabic origins.
Castor and Copernicus are the most notorious stars since they are part of the zodiac constellations Gemini and Cancer respectively
The following table lists them all. Here’s what each of the columns mean:
Name: The proper or colloquial name for the star.
Constellation: The group of stars the star belongs to.
Bayern Designation: The ordered name for the star in the Bayern catalog of stars.
Designation: The ‘scientific’ name for the star in the IAU catalog. This is the name astronomers generally use.
Approval Date: The date the proper name was officially approved for the IAU catalog. Most names have been used for a much longer time though.
| Name | Constellation | Bayern Designation | Designation | Approval Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canopus | Carina | α Carinae A | HR 2326 | 2016-06-30 |
| Capella | Auriga | α Aurigae Aa | HR 1708 | 2016-06-30 |
| Caph | Cassiopeia | β Cassiopeiae A | HR 21 | 2016-06-30 |
| Castor | Gemini | α Geminorum Aa | HR 2891 | 2016-06-30 |
| Castula | Cassiopeia | υ2 Cassiopeiae | HR 265 | 2017-09-05 |
| Cebalrai | Ophiuchus | β Ophiuchi | HR 6603 | 2016-08-21 |
| Celaeno | Taurus | 16 Tauri | HR 1140 | 2016-08-21 |
| Cervantes | Ara | μ Arae | HR 6585 | 2015-12-15 |
| Chalawan | Ursa Major | 47 Ursae Majoris | HR 4277 | 2015-12-15 |
| Chamukuy | Taurus | θ2 Tauri Aa | HR 1412 | 2017-09-05 |
| Chara | Canes Venatici | β Canum Venaticorum Aa | HR 4785 | 2016-07-20 |
| Chertan | Leo | θ Leonis | HR 4359 | 2016-07-20 |
| Copernicus | Cancer | 55 Cancri A | HR 3522 | 2015-12-15 |
| Cor Caroli | Canes Venatici | α2 Canum Venaticorum Aa | HR 4915 | 2016-07-20 |
| Cujam | Hercules | ω Herculis A | HR 6117 | 2017-02-01 |
| Cursa | Eridanus | β Eridani | HR 1666 | 2016-07-20 |
This list does not include some of the proposed star names that are proposed every year, but still haven’t been fully approved and made official.
Find more star names that start with the letter: