There are currently 18 stars in the catalog of the International Astronomical Union whose names begin with the letter p.
The list includes two of the brightest stars on the night sky: Polaris (The North Star), and Pollux, which is part of the Gemini constellation.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paikauhale | Scorpius | τ Scorpii A | HR 6165 | 2018-08-10 |
| Peacock | Pavo | α Pavonis Aa | HR 7790 | 2016-07-20 |
| Phact | Columba | α Columbae | HR 1956 | 2016-07-20 |
| Phecda | Ursa Major | γ Ursae Majoris Aa | HR 4554 | 2016-07-20 |
| Pherkad | Ursa Minor | γ Ursae Minoris | HR 5735 | 2016-08-21 |
| Piautos | Cancer | λ Cancri | HR 3268 | 2018-06-01 |
| Pipirima | Scorpius | μ2 Scorpii A | HR 6252 | 2017-09-05 |
| Pleione | Taurus | 28 Tauri Aa | HR 1180 | 2016-06-30 |
| Polaris | Ursa Minor | α Ursae Minoris | HR 424 | 2016-06-30 |
| Polaris Australis | Octans | σ Octantis | HR 7228 | 2017-09-05 |
| Polis | Sagittarius | μ Sagittarii Aa | HR 6812 | 2017-09-05 |
| Pollux | Gemini | β Geminorum | HR 2990 | 2015-12-15 |
| Porrima | Virgo | γ Virginis A | HR 4825 | 2016-07-20 |
| Praecipua | Leo Minor | 46 Leonis Minoris | HR 4247 | 2017-06-30 |
| Prima Hyadum | Taurus | γ Tauri A | HR 1346 | 2017-09-05 |
| Procyon | Canis Minor | α Canis Minoris A | HR 2943 | 2016-06-30 |
| Propus | Gemini | η Geminorum A | HR 2216 | 2016-07-20 |
| Proxima Centauri | Centaurus | α Centauri C | GJ 551 | 2016-08-21 |
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: