How it works
Press the button for one real star of the night sky that has an official name, such as Sirius, Vega or Betelgeuse. The card gives its constellation, how bright it looks, how far away it is and its color.
Read the full guide
Pick stars by color
After your first press, a list under the button reads Any color. Choose Blue and blue-white, White and yellow-white, Yellow, Orange or Red. More filters, its last entry, adds Brightest 25, the stars at the top of the list.
Find it in the sky
Each card names the star's constellation, so you can look it up on a star chart. Betelgeuse and Rigel are both in Orion: one is red and the other blue-white. Many names come from Arabic, and the card gives the meaning where it is known.
Tips
- Naming a ship or a character? Draw until a name fits, then keep its meaning for the backstory.
Questions and answers
What does magnitude mean?
It measures how bright a star looks from Earth. The scale runs backward: the brighter the star, the lower the number. Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, has a magnitude below zero.
Why are some stars blue and others red?
Color follows temperature. Astronomers sort stars into classes from the hottest to the coolest: blue stars are at the hot end and red stars at the cool end.
Who decides a star's name?
The International Astronomical Union. Its Working Group on Star Names keeps a catalogue of approved names, and every star on this page is in it.
Does this make star shapes, or names for a made-up star?
No. It draws real stars only. For an invented world to put in a story, try the planet name generator.
Where do the numbers come from?
Names, constellations and magnitudes come from the IAU's catalogue of star names. Distances and classes come from each star's Wikipedia article. All were read on October 1, 2026.