Which stars have been named after astronomers?

Question

Most apparent stars have ancient names. But some of the newer (since 200 or so years) discoveries have been given the name of some prominent astronomer. Kapteyn's star is one example, and there are several more in that Wikipedia article. Edward Barnard et cetera. But there aren't too many, are there? It seems hard to get ones name attached to a star, or am I missing a bunch?

Kapteyn and his tie knot matching star

Astronomy was never easy, there's always more to see. Star namer van Biesbroeck in action with his flaring tiny red dwarf.

Answer 1

You probably need someone better versed in the history of astronomy than me, but I'll give it a stab.

As you've already noticed, the Wikipedia article on stars named after people has some entries, and that's probably about it. In terms of modern naming procedures, we tend to use catalogue names. Unlike, say, asteroids, there's no systematic way of naming stars after people or anything else, so stars usually continue to be referred to only by catalogue number. Those rare stars that are named after people (or something else) are usually because they are now somehow historically associated with that system. Unless, of course, the catalogue is named after someone! Another exception are those very bright stars with pre-telescope names, but those aren't named after people (e.g. many scientific papers refer to Betelgeuse as such).

I guess in short, there's just no standard modern naming procedure by which a star can end up with a person's name, so few exist, and probably most are listed in the Wikipedia article.

Answer 2

I know of a Barnard's Star, and also Herschel's star...