# So what is our sun really called? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 25, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-our-sun-really-called/171092 "2003-04-25T12:23:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-our-sun-really-called/171092/41 "2003-04-27T01:48:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Irishman \* > **Now I know.** And knowing is half the … ah, skip it. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-our-sun-really-called/171092/42 "2003-04-27T04:50:20Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Irishman \* > Thank you! In the Doc Smith book series of The Lensman, Earth is referred to as Tellus. I always wondered where he got that, considering every other science fiction author in the known universe (or so it seems) calls it Terra_. Now I know. At least a couple other sf writers have used it. The [OED Science Fiction Citation project](http://www.jessesword.com/SF/sf.shtml) has cites from CS Lewis and some guy named Gawain Edwards. But all those cites date from the 30s and 40s; it’s pretty obsolete now. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-our-sun-really-called/171092/43 "2003-04-27T15:58:33Z")
If you were looking at the Sun (capital letters) from Alpha Centauri it would look like [this](http://www.astronexus.com/3duniv/contents/img/sol_from_alphacen.png)… You would probably call it Alpha Cassiopeiae. Alpha Centauri is also called Rigel Kent and Toliman, by the way. Many visible stars have multiple names and all have several catalogue numbers (except the Sun…) * * * Sci-fi worldbuilding at [http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html](http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html) ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-our-sun-really-called/171092/44 "2003-04-27T16:27:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dtilque \* > \*\*Depends on your definition of “few”. Within about 6 to 8 lightyears, the sun would be one of the brightest stars in the sky. IIRC, its absolute magnitude is 4.4, which means it will be naked-eye visible, although not very bright, at 33 lightyears (10 parsecs). \*\* Well, once again I was wrong. I had no idea it could be seen at 10 parsecs. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-our-sun-really-called/171092/45 "2003-05-06T02:35:15Z")
And in the most recent episode of _Enterprise_, Captain Archer says that he’s from the Sol system. There you go. It’s official, the Sun’s name is Sol. ## Peace. And thus, it can now be determined, the Sun is Jewish. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-our-sun-really-called/171092/46 "2003-05-06T09:48:24Z")
Or just the system’s name is Sol. By your logic, by “Best of Both World” in TNG, the sun’s name is Terra. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-our-sun-really-called/171092.md?page=2)