There are currently 39 stars in the catalog of the International Astronomical Union whose names begin with the letter m, making it the second letter with the most stars, only after the letter a.
Some very important stars in the night sky are on this list, such as Maia, Meissa, and Merak.
The following table lists them all. Here’s the nomenclature for the columns to the right:
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maasym | Hercules | λ Herculis | HR 6526 | 2016-09-12 |
| Mahasim | Auriga | θ Aurigae A | HR 2095 | 2017-06-30 |
| Maia | Taurus | 20 Tauri | HR 1149 | 2016-07-20 |
| Marfik | Ophiuchus | λ Ophiuchi A | HR 6149 | 2016-09-12 |
| Markab | Pegasus | α Pegasi | HR 8781 | 2016-06-30 |
| Markeb | Vela | κ Velorum | HR 3734 | 2017-09-05 |
| Marsic | Hercules | κ Herculis A | HR 6008 | 2017-02-01 |
| Matar | Pegasus | η Pegasi Aa | HR 8650 | 2016-08-21 |
| Mebsuta | Gemini | ε Geminorum | HR 2473 | 2016-07-20 |
| Megrez | Ursa Major | δ Ursae Majoris | HR 4660 | 2016-06-30 |
| Meissa | Orion | λ Orionis A | HR 1879 | 2016-07-20 |
| Mekbuda | Gemini | ζ Geminorum Aa | HR 2650 | 2016-09-12 |
| Meleph | Cancer | ε Cancri Aa | HR 3429 | 2017-09-05 |
| Menkalinan | Auriga | β Aurigae Aa | HR 2088 | 2016-07-20 |
| Menkar | Cetus | α Ceti | HR 911 | 2016-06-30 |
| Menkent | Centaurus | θ Centauri | HR 5288 | 2016-08-21 |
| Menkib | Perseus | ξ Persei | HR 1228 | 2016-09-12 |
| Merak | Ursa Major | β Ursae Majoris | HR 4295 | 2016-06-30 |
| Merga | Boötes | 38 Boötis | HR 5533 | 2016-09-12 |
| Meridiana | Corona Australis | α Coronae Australis | HR 7254 | 2017-09-05 |
| Merope | Taurus | 23 Tauri Aa | HR 1156 | 2016-07-20 |
| Mesarthim | Aries | γ1 Arietis A | HR 546 | 2016-08-21 |
| Miaplacidus | Carina | β Carinae | HR 3685 | 2016-07-20 |
| Mimosa | Crux | β Crucis | HR 4853 | 2016-07-20 |
| Minchir | Hydra | σ Hydrae | HR 3418 | 2017-09-05 |
| Minelauva | Virgo | δ Virginis | HR 4910 | 2017-06-30 |
| Mintaka | Orion | δ Orionis Aa | HR 1852 | 2016-07-20 |
| Mira | Cetus | ο Ceti Aa | HR 681 | 2016-06-30 |
| Mirach | Andromeda | β Andromedae | HR 337 | 2016-06-30 |
| Miram | Perseus | η Persei A | HR 834 | 2017-09-05 |
| Mirfak | Perseus | α Persei | HR 1017 | 2016-07-20 |
| Mirzam | Canis Major | β Canis Majoris | HR 2294 | 2016-07-20 |
| Misam | Perseus | κ Persei Aa | HR 941 | 2017-09-05 |
| Mizar | Ursa Major | ζ Ursae Majoris Aa | HR 5054 | 2016-06-30 |
| Mothallah | Triangulum | α Trianguli | HR 544 | 2016-08-21 |
| Muliphein | Canis Major | γ Canis Majoris | HR 2657 | 2016-08-21 |
| Muphrid | Boötes | η Boötis Aa | HR 5235 | 2016-09-12 |
| Muscida | Ursa Major | ο Ursae Majoris A | HR 3323 | 2016-07-20 |
| Musica | Delphinus | 18 Delphini | HR 8030 | 2015-12-15 |
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: