Galaxy names for pets, with the rest of the night sky: galaxies and nebulae, bright stars, constellations, moons, planets and sky words. Every name belongs to something real, and its card says what.
Read the full guide
Choose a part of the sky
After a press, the list under the button narrows the draw to one kind. Galaxies and nebulae gives Andromeda, the nearest major galaxy to our own, Sombrero and Pinwheel. Bright stars gives Vega, Polaris and Antares. Moons gives Luna, Io and Titan, the largest moon of Saturn.
Outer space names for pets, matched to the animal
For a cat there are Leo, the lion, Lynx, and Cat's Eye, a nebula in the constellation Draco. Lepus is the hare, Columba is Latin for dove, Delphinus stands for a dolphin and Vulpecula is Latin for little fox. Rover is a vehicle built to drive on another world.
Questions and answers
What are good galaxy names for a pet?
Andromeda, Sombrero, Pinwheel, Cartwheel, Sunflower, Tadpole and Triangulum are all galaxies. Magellan comes from the Magellanic Clouds, two dwarf galaxies that orbit the Milky Way, and Quasar is the bright core of a distant galaxy.
What is a celestial name for a dog?
Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, is known as the Dog Star. Procyon is the brightest star in Canis Minor, the little dog, and Canis Major is Latin for greater dog.
What are pet names starting with Star?
Stardust, Starlight, Starshine and Stargazer all start with Star, and Starry Night is the name of a painting by Vincent van Gogh from 1889. Stella is a given name from the Latin word for star.
Are these names from space films or games?
Not on purpose. Every name is a real star, moon, planet, constellation, galaxy or sky word. Characters of films, shows and games are left out, though some of them took their names from the same sky.
AndromedaThe Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest major galaxy to our own.
BoomerangThe Boomerang Nebula is one of the coldest known places in the universe.
ButterflyThe Butterfly Nebula is a planetary nebula with two wings of gas, in Scorpius.
CartwheelThe Cartwheel Galaxy is a ring galaxy in the constellation Sculptor.
Cat's EyeThe Cat's Eye Nebula is a planetary nebula in the constellation Draco.
EagleThe Eagle Nebula holds the pillars of gas known as the Pillars of Creation.
FireworksThe Fireworks Galaxy is a spiral galaxy seen face-on.
GalaxyA system of stars, gas and dust held together by gravity.
HelixThe Helix Nebula is a planetary nebula in the constellation Aquarius.
HorseheadThe Horsehead Nebula is a small dark nebula in Orion, shaped like a horse's head.
LagoonThe Lagoon Nebula is an emission nebula in the constellation Sagittarius.
MagellanThe Magellanic Clouds are two dwarf galaxies that orbit the Milky Way.
Milky WayThe galaxy we live in, seen as a pale band across a dark sky.
NebulaA cloud of gas and dust in the space between the stars.
OwlThe Owl Nebula is a planetary nebula in Ursa Major.
PelicanThe Pelican Nebula is a cloud of gas in Cygnus, near the star Deneb.
PinwheelThe Pinwheel Galaxy is a spiral galaxy seen face-on in Ursa Major.
QuasarThe bright core of a galaxy, lit by matter falling toward a huge black hole.
SombreroThe Sombrero Galaxy has a bright core and a dark lane of dust, like a hat brim.
SunflowerThe Sunflower Galaxy is a spiral galaxy in the northern sky.
TadpoleThe Tadpole Galaxy trails a long tail of stars.
TriangulumThe Triangulum Galaxy is the third-largest member of our Local Group of galaxies.
TrifidThe Trifid Nebula is a cloud of gas in Sagittarius; its name means three-lobed.
VeilThe Veil Nebula is a cloud of heated gas and dust in Cygnus.
Bright stars 34
AchernarThe brightest star in Eridanus, the river.
AcruxThe brightest star in Crux, the Southern Cross.
AlbireoA double star in Cygnus, the swan.
AlcorA star in Ursa Major, right beside the brighter Mizar.
AlcyoneThe brightest star in the Pleiades cluster.
AldebaranThe brightest star in Taurus, the bull.
AlnilamThe star at the center of Orion's Belt.
AltairThe brightest star in Aquila, the eagle, and one corner of the Summer Triangle.
AntaresA red supergiant, the brightest star in Scorpius.
ArcturusA red giant, the brightest star in the constellation Bootes.
BetelgeuseA red supergiant in the constellation Orion.
CanopusThe second-brightest star in the night sky.
CapellaThe brightest star in the constellation Auriga.
CastorNot one star but six, in the constellation Gemini.
DenebThe brightest star in Cygnus, the swan, and one corner of the Summer Triangle.
DenebolaThe second-brightest star in Leo.
ElectraOne of the stars of the Pleiades cluster.
FomalhautThe brightest star in Piscis Austrinus, the southern fish.
MaiaThe fourth-brightest star in the Pleiades cluster.
MeropeOne of the stars of the Pleiades cluster, in Taurus.
MimosaThe second-brightest star in Crux, the Southern Cross.
MintakaOne of the three stars of Orion's Belt.
MiraA star in Cetus whose brightness rises and falls.
MizarA star in the handle of the Big Dipper.
PolarisThe North Star, in the constellation Ursa Minor.
PolluxThe brightest star in Gemini, the twins.
ProcyonThe brightest star in Canis Minor, the little dog.
RegulusThe brightest star in Leo, the lion.
RigelA blue supergiant star in Orion.
SiriusThe brightest star in the night sky, known as the Dog Star.
SpicaThe brightest star in the constellation Virgo.
ThubanA star in Draco that was the pole star thousands of years ago.
VegaThe brightest star in the constellation Lyra.
ZubenelgenubiA star system in Libra, and the longest name on this list.
Constellations 26
AquilaThe eagle; its name is Latin for eagle.
AurigaThe charioteer, a constellation of the northern sky.
CanisCanis Major is Latin for greater dog, the dog that follows Orion the hunter.
CassiopeiaNamed for a queen of Greek mythology; its bright stars make a W.
CetusThe sea monster of Greek mythology, sometimes called the whale.
ColumbaA faint constellation; its name is Latin for dove.
CorvusA small constellation that stands for a raven.
CygnusThe swan, also known as the Northern Cross.
DelphinusA small constellation that stands for a dolphin.
DracoThe dragon, a constellation in the far northern sky.
EquuleusThe second-smallest constellation; its name is Latin for little horse.
LacertaA small, faint constellation; its name is Latin for lizard.
LeoThe lion, one of the constellations of the zodiac.
LepusThe hare, a constellation right below Orion the hunter.
LynxA faint constellation of the northern sky, named after the animal.
LyraA small constellation that stands for a lyre.
MonocerosA faint constellation; its name is Greek for unicorn.
OrionThe hunter, home of the bright stars Rigel and Betelgeuse.
PavoA southern constellation that stands for the peacock.
PegasusNamed for the winged horse of Greek mythology.
PerseusNamed for the Greek hero Perseus.
PhoenixA southern constellation named for the mythical bird.
TucanaA southern constellation named for the toucan.
UrsaUrsa Major is Latin for greater bear, and Ursa Minor is the lesser bear beside it.
VolansA southern constellation that stands for a flying fish.
VulpeculaA faint constellation; its name is Latin for little fox.
Moons 18
CallistoThe second-largest moon of Jupiter.
CharonThe largest moon of the dwarf planet Pluto.
DioneA moon of Saturn, named for a Titaness of Greek mythology.
EnceladusA moon of Saturn that sprays ice particles into space.
EuropaThe smallest of the four big moons of Jupiter that Galileo found.
GanymedeThe largest moon in the Solar System, in orbit around Jupiter.
IapetusA moon of Saturn with one dark side and one bright side.
IoA moon of Jupiter, the most geologically active object in the Solar System.
LunaThe Roman goddess who stood for the Moon, and the Latin word for it.
MimasAn icy, round moon of Saturn.
MirandaThe smallest and innermost of the five round moons of Uranus.
OberonThe outermost of the large moons of Uranus.
PhoebeA moon of Saturn that circles the planet backward.
RheaSaturn's second-largest moon.
TitanThe largest moon of Saturn.
TitaniaThe largest moon of Uranus.
TritonThe largest moon of Neptune.
UmbrielThe darkest of the moons of Uranus.
Planets, dwarf planets and asteroids 14
CeresA dwarf planet in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
ErisThe most massive known dwarf planet.
HaumeaA dwarf planet beyond the orbit of Neptune.
JunoA large asteroid in the asteroid belt.
JupiterThe largest planet in the Solar System, a giant made mostly of gas.
MakemakeA dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt.
MarsThe fourth planet from the Sun, known as the Red Planet.
MercuryThe first planet from the Sun, and the smallest.
NeptuneThe farthest known planet from the Sun.
PsycheA large metallic asteroid of the main belt.
SaturnThe sixth planet from the Sun, the one with the bright rings.
SednaA small, distant world far beyond Neptune.
VenusThe second planet from the Sun.
VestaThe second-largest asteroid of the main belt.
Sky words 33
AuroraA natural display of light in the sky, seen mostly near the poles.
BolideAn extremely bright meteor.
CelesteA given name from the Latin for heavenly.
CometA small icy body that grows a tail when it passes close to the Sun.
CosmosAnother name for the universe.
CrescentThe thin curve of a young moon, like a sleeping cat.
EclipseWhen one body in the sky is hidden for a while behind another or in its shadow.
EquinoxOne of the two times a year when the Sun is straight above the equator.
GeminidThe Geminids are a meteor shower seen in December.
GibbousThe moon when more than half of it, but not all, is lit.
HaloA ring of light around the Sun or Moon, made by ice crystals.
KuiperThe Kuiper belt is a ring of icy bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune.
LeonidThe Leonids are a meteor shower left by the comet Tempel-Tuttle.
MeteorA shooting star: a streak of light from a bit of rock burning up in the air.
MoonbeamA strip of moonlight on the floor, and the pet lying in it.
NovaA star that suddenly flares up bright, as if it were new.
OrbitThe curved path of one body around another.
ParsecA unit of length that astronomers use for the distances to stars.
PerseidThe Perseids are a meteor shower seen from mid-July to late August.
PleiadesA cluster of stars in Taurus, also called the Seven Sisters.
PulsarA fast-spinning neutron star that sends out beams of radiation.
RoverA vehicle built to drive on the surface of another world, and an old name for a dog.
SputnikSputnik 1 was the first artificial satellite of the Earth.
StardustWhat everything is made of, in the end, including this pet.
StargazerFor the pet who sits at the window after the lights go off.
StarlightLight that left its star long ago and is only now arriving.
Starry NightThe Starry Night is a painting by Vincent van Gogh from 1889.
StarshineThe glow of a clear night with no moon.
StellaA given name from the Latin word for star.
SunspotA spot on the Sun that looks darker than the area around it.
SyzygyWhen three or more bodies in space line up.
ZenithThe point in the sky straight above you.
ZodiacThe belt of sky that the Sun, Moon and planets move through.
How this list was compiled
Own choice of 149 names from the night sky for a pet, made for this page on 2026-10-02. Every star name is a proper name in the IAU Catalog of Star Names, the list approved by the International Astronomical Union's Working Group on Star Names, read that day in the copy the group's secretary keeps at pas.rochester.edu (last updated 2022-04-04); the constellations are among the 88 the IAU recognizes. The line on each of 143 cards was read the same day in the opening section of the English Wikipedia article on that object, or the English Wiktionary entry for Celeste and gibbous (CC BY-SA 4.0), and says no more than that section does. The few lines with no fact (Stardust, Starlight, Starshine, Stargazer, Moonbeam, Crescent) are ours. Groups: 24 galaxies and nebulae, 34 bright stars, 26 constellations, 18 moons, 14 planets, dwarf planets and asteroids, 33 sky words. No name was chosen because a film, a cartoon, a game or a brand carries it, and a dwarf planet whose name is better known as a cartoon dog is left out. The fact lines were read again against the same sources on 2026-10-03. Licence: The choice of names, the groups and the wording of the lines are our own work. The star names follow the IAU Catalog of Star Names. Facts on the cards draw on English Wikipedia and English Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).