Last week I took a look at Astronomical Terms as Brand Names. We saw that terms like star, sun, moon and nova are each used in many tens of thousands of business names.
I extend the topic in this week’s article, looking in particular at star and constellation names. I also consider what technology trends may drive use of astronomical and space terms in the coming decade.
The Brightest Stars
Many of the brightest stars are well-known, and that makes them suitable as potential brands.
Here is a list of the 100 brightest stars, at least brightest in the sense of apparent brightness as viewed from Earth.
The brightest star is Sirius. Other relatively well-known stars from the list include Vega, Castor, Rigel, Procyon, Altair, Aldebaran, Spica, and Pollux. Almost all of these stars were named in antiquity.
While just in 48th place, Polaris is well known as the north pole star. While the other stars appear to rotate in position, with each night and over the months, Polaris remains apparently fixed, for now at least, in the north. This allows Polaris to be used to guide directions, important prior to the era of GPS. However, over many thousands of years even that changes, due to precession in the Earth’s rotation axis, and other stars will in future fill the role of the ‘north star’.
While there are about 5000 stars visible with the unaided eye, the total number of stars in our Milky Way galaxy is probably more than 100 billion.
The vast majority of stars have no formal name, and are simply named as a line number in a star catalog. The brighter stars have been given a Greek letter and constellation name designation, generally ordered by brightness. For example, ⍺-Canis Major is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major. But relatively bright stars also have a proper name, in this case Sirius, the brightest star in our sky.
I wondered how often the names of the brighter stars appear in business names. The table below shows the dollar volume of sales with the star name in prefix, exact or suffix position, using NameBio data, the number of registered extensions, using dotDB, and the number of times an active business or organizations uses the name, using OpenCorporates data.
I generally included brighter stars, but excluded some with long or multiple names, or that seemed less suited to possible brand use. After Polaris, the table is arranged by decreasing apparent brightness.
The NameBio-recorded sales in most names are not impressive, nor in many cases the number of registered businesses. Vega, Polaris, Sirius, Castor and Altair among the more popular star names used as business brands.
Vega is by far the most popular, probably due to it being a short, pronounceable word, used in a car model, and a prominent bright star in the northern hemisphere summer skies. Mention in the movie Contact might have helped.
Castor and Pollux are the twin stars in the zodiac constellation Gemini, and both are relatively frequently used in business names. Castor might have increased in use recently with the surge in podcast service businesses, while Pollux beginning with word poll might be relevant to some uses.
Some relatively well-known bright stars in the northern sky still do not find a lot of use in business names, such as Rigel, the second brightest star in the constellation Orion. Betelgeuse is also an Orion star known to most casual stargazers, but does not find much love as a brand, probably because of possible misspelling.
If looking for inspiration among overlooked names, consult the full list of the 100 brightest stars.
The Constellations
The general public views constellations as the apparent shapes formed by a set of stars, such as Orion the Hunter, or Gemini the Twins. These are just apparent patterns, as often the stars making up a constellation are actually very distant from each other.
To an astronomer, a constellation is a region of the sky, like a country on a map. Nevertheless, the names of constellations trace their origins to the apparent shapes.
The sky is represented as being on a celestial sphere, analogous to an Earth globe, and all regions on that sphere are designated as part of one of the 88 official constellations.
The body in charge of astronomical naming is the International Astronomical Union, IAU. They approved the list of 88 constellations, and their boundaries, in 1930. You can see the list, their pronunciations, and meaning in this constellation list.
The zodiac constellations, because of their link to astrology, are well known among the public. The planets have motions that seem to make them move through the zodiac constellations. Here is a list of zodiac constellations.
The table below gives data for how frequently some of the constellation names appear in domain name sales, registered domains and in business or organization names.
The most popular constellation, at least in terms of use in business names, is clearly Leo. It has a lot going for it, being just 3-letters, corresponding to a well-known meaning, and being a relatively well-known constellation. LEO is also an acronym for Low Earth Orbit.
Meteor showers are named after the constellation the meteors appear to radiate from, and the Leonids are one of the better known meteor showers.
Most of the other well-used constellation names are also zodiac constellations, such as Aquarius, Aries, Capricorn, Libra, Pisces, and Taurus.
In northern winter skies, the best known constellation is probably Orion, and it is used in many brand names.
Some of the constellations, such as Lynx, are probably popular based more on the animal than the constellation.
Cassiopeia is an easily identified (it looks like a W and falls along the Milky Way) and beautiful constellation, but not very popular as a brand, probably due to possible spelling issues and length.
Phoenix is a constellation with many domain name sales, but they are mainly related to the American city by that name, rather than the constellation, so I excluded it from the table.
Hercules is a constellation used fairly often in business names, probably because of association with strength, even though not particularly easy to spot as a constellation.
A Few More Astronomical Terms
In the first article in the series, I looked at data for a number of astronomical terms. NamePros members suggested some additional terms, and I provide data on them below.
Cosmic and stellar are two popular terms, particularly in the prefix position.
Sector Trends
While an astronomical term or object name can make a great brand for a business in any sector, there are also business trends that may favour astronomical and space terms in the coming decades. Here are a few I identified, and I hope readers will add to this list in the discussion.
I may later develop some of these into an independent article. The worth of minerals in some asteroids is staggering, and while extraction and return to Earth is still a very challenging task, it is getting nearer to commercial viability.
Companies such as BlueOrigin, SpaceX and Virgin Galactic have already brought space tourism to reality, although currently mainly for short flights in low Earth orbit.
Both Amazon and SpaceX have plans for thousands of small satellites delivering global internet services. SpaceX Starlink already has a couple of thousand satellites in operation, with more than ten thousand planned, while Amazon BlueOrigin Project Kuiper plan more than three thousand satellites.
The 50th anniversary of the moon landing helped propel interest in space and astronomy names. In particular, space-inspired fashion seems to have taken off during the past few years.
Final Thoughts
If you missed last week’s article on astronomical names as brands, here is the link to Astronomical Terms as Brand Names.
What are your favourite constellation and star names for use as brands?
What aspects of space and astronomy development do you think will most impact the need for domain names in the coming decade?
If you have the opportunity this summer, get out to a location away from light pollution, and become more familiar with the night sky. It might not make you a better domainer, but will provide rewards that will stick with you for a lifetime. It is indeed a beautiful universe.
Thanks to NameBio, OpenCorporates and dotDB as sources of data used in this article.
I extend the topic in this week’s article, looking in particular at star and constellation names. I also consider what technology trends may drive use of astronomical and space terms in the coming decade.
The Brightest Stars
Many of the brightest stars are well-known, and that makes them suitable as potential brands.
Here is a list of the 100 brightest stars, at least brightest in the sense of apparent brightness as viewed from Earth.
The brightest star is Sirius. Other relatively well-known stars from the list include Vega, Castor, Rigel, Procyon, Altair, Aldebaran, Spica, and Pollux. Almost all of these stars were named in antiquity.
While just in 48th place, Polaris is well known as the north pole star. While the other stars appear to rotate in position, with each night and over the months, Polaris remains apparently fixed, for now at least, in the north. This allows Polaris to be used to guide directions, important prior to the era of GPS. However, over many thousands of years even that changes, due to precession in the Earth’s rotation axis, and other stars will in future fill the role of the ‘north star’.
While there are about 5000 stars visible with the unaided eye, the total number of stars in our Milky Way galaxy is probably more than 100 billion.
The vast majority of stars have no formal name, and are simply named as a line number in a star catalog. The brighter stars have been given a Greek letter and constellation name designation, generally ordered by brightness. For example, ⍺-Canis Major is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major. But relatively bright stars also have a proper name, in this case Sirius, the brightest star in our sky.
I wondered how often the names of the brighter stars appear in business names. The table below shows the dollar volume of sales with the star name in prefix, exact or suffix position, using NameBio data, the number of registered extensions, using dotDB, and the number of times an active business or organizations uses the name, using OpenCorporates data.
Star | $ Volume Prefix | $ Volume Exact | $ Volume Suffix | TLDs | Business Names |
Polaris | $3,400 | $3,720 | $340 | 316 | 6,566 |
Sirius | $4,520 | $10,800 | $150 | 350 | 5,516 |
Canopus | $0 | $0 | $0 | 95 | 498 |
Arcturus | $0 | $0 | $0 | 103 | 663 |
Vega | $14,500 | $3,950 | $10,300 | 316 | 14,795 |
Capella | $0 | $230 | $0 | 124 | 1,497 |
Rigel | $0 | $0 | $0 | 124 | 921 |
Betelgeuse | $0 | $0 | $0 | 62 | 182 |
Altair | $6,040 | $1,010 | $860 | 181 | 2,384 |
Aldebaran | $0 | $2,170 | $0 | 95 | 663 |
Spica | $0 | $4,960 | $0 | 139 | 594 |
Pollux | $0 | $14,300 | $0 | 104 | 880 |
Deneb | $0 | $0 | $0 | 63 | 313 |
Regulus | $0 | $0 | $0 | 118 | 599 |
Castor | $5,170 | $5,330 | $390 | 119 | 2,656 |
Bellatrix | $0 | $0 | $0 | 75 | 431 |
I generally included brighter stars, but excluded some with long or multiple names, or that seemed less suited to possible brand use. After Polaris, the table is arranged by decreasing apparent brightness.
The NameBio-recorded sales in most names are not impressive, nor in many cases the number of registered businesses. Vega, Polaris, Sirius, Castor and Altair among the more popular star names used as business brands.
Vega is by far the most popular, probably due to it being a short, pronounceable word, used in a car model, and a prominent bright star in the northern hemisphere summer skies. Mention in the movie Contact might have helped.
Castor and Pollux are the twin stars in the zodiac constellation Gemini, and both are relatively frequently used in business names. Castor might have increased in use recently with the surge in podcast service businesses, while Pollux beginning with word poll might be relevant to some uses.
Some relatively well-known bright stars in the northern sky still do not find a lot of use in business names, such as Rigel, the second brightest star in the constellation Orion. Betelgeuse is also an Orion star known to most casual stargazers, but does not find much love as a brand, probably because of possible misspelling.
If looking for inspiration among overlooked names, consult the full list of the 100 brightest stars.
The Constellations
The general public views constellations as the apparent shapes formed by a set of stars, such as Orion the Hunter, or Gemini the Twins. These are just apparent patterns, as often the stars making up a constellation are actually very distant from each other.
To an astronomer, a constellation is a region of the sky, like a country on a map. Nevertheless, the names of constellations trace their origins to the apparent shapes.
The sky is represented as being on a celestial sphere, analogous to an Earth globe, and all regions on that sphere are designated as part of one of the 88 official constellations.
The body in charge of astronomical naming is the International Astronomical Union, IAU. They approved the list of 88 constellations, and their boundaries, in 1930. You can see the list, their pronunciations, and meaning in this constellation list.
The zodiac constellations, because of their link to astrology, are well known among the public. The planets have motions that seem to make them move through the zodiac constellations. Here is a list of zodiac constellations.
The table below gives data for how frequently some of the constellation names appear in domain name sales, registered domains and in business or organization names.
Constellation | Meaning | $ Volume Prefix | $ Volume Exact | $ Volume Suffix | TLDs | Business Names |
Andromeda | chained princess | $230 | $520 | $910 | 230 | 1,669 |
Aquarius | water bearer | $530 | $0 | $210 | 255 | 4,122 |
Aries | ram | $4,120 | $2,310 | $1,200 | 205 | 4,489 |
Auriga | charioteer | $230 | $0 | $0 | 104 | 655 |
Capricorn | sea goat | $1,510 | $1,450 | $213 | 135 | 2,502 |
Cassiopeia | queen throne | $0 | $3,880 | $0 | 103 | 354 |
Centaurus | human-horse figure | $0 | $1,600 | $0 | 96 | 745 |
Cetus | whale | $2,230 | $5,230 | $0 | 86 | 329 |
Cygnus | swan | $240 | $7,250 | $0 | 148 | 1,535 |
Draco | dragon | $12,700 | $0 | $0 | 153 | 926 |
Hercules | mythological figure | $5,140 | $580 | $260 | 175 | 3,928 |
Hydra | water monster | $12,300 | $3,100 | $0 | 289 | 2,228 |
Leo | lion | $48,800 | $149,800 | $25,400 | 360 | 21,207 |
Libra | scales, balance | $18,100 | $5,730 | $4,310 | 304 | 4,302 |
Lynx | lynx | $15,400 | $9,210 | $14,100 | 276 | 4,055 |
Lyra | harp | $0 | $280 | $560 | 163 | 1,564 |
Mensa | table mountain | $150 | $0 | $0 | 160 | 502 |
Orion | hunter | $41,300 | $3,180 | $1,940 | 359 | 15,690 |
Pegasus | winged horse | $25,000 | $14,800 | $1,460 | 233 | 9,582 |
Perseus | legendary figure | $120 | $0 | $0 | 119 | 849 |
Pisces | fish | $500 | $83,700 | $200 | 100 | 1,046 |
Sagittarius | archer | $110 | $34,200 | $0 | 97 | 524 |
Taurus | bull | $6,530 | $460 | $390 | 255 | 5,270 |
Virgo | maiden | $2,020 | $1,220 | $2,330 | 169 | 1,850 |
The most popular constellation, at least in terms of use in business names, is clearly Leo. It has a lot going for it, being just 3-letters, corresponding to a well-known meaning, and being a relatively well-known constellation. LEO is also an acronym for Low Earth Orbit.
Meteor showers are named after the constellation the meteors appear to radiate from, and the Leonids are one of the better known meteor showers.
Most of the other well-used constellation names are also zodiac constellations, such as Aquarius, Aries, Capricorn, Libra, Pisces, and Taurus.
In northern winter skies, the best known constellation is probably Orion, and it is used in many brand names.
Some of the constellations, such as Lynx, are probably popular based more on the animal than the constellation.
Cassiopeia is an easily identified (it looks like a W and falls along the Milky Way) and beautiful constellation, but not very popular as a brand, probably due to possible spelling issues and length.
Phoenix is a constellation with many domain name sales, but they are mainly related to the American city by that name, rather than the constellation, so I excluded it from the table.
Hercules is a constellation used fairly often in business names, probably because of association with strength, even though not particularly easy to spot as a constellation.
A Few More Astronomical Terms
In the first article in the series, I looked at data for a number of astronomical terms. NamePros members suggested some additional terms, and I provide data on them below.
Term | $ Volume Prefix | $ Volume Exact | $ Volume Suffix | TLDs | Business Names |
cosmic | $59,400 | $4,980 | $840 | 318 | 5038 |
nebula | $3,780 | $26,100 | $0 | 259 | 1293 |
orbit | $16,800 | $9,700 | $61,400 | 296 | 3900 |
stellar | $66,900 | $17,300 | $5,620 | 366 | 8177 |
starlight | $20,200 | $0 | $390 | 252 | 4670 |
Cosmic and stellar are two popular terms, particularly in the prefix position.
Sector Trends
While an astronomical term or object name can make a great brand for a business in any sector, there are also business trends that may favour astronomical and space terms in the coming decades. Here are a few I identified, and I hope readers will add to this list in the discussion.
- Space Tourism
- Asteroid Mining
- Space Inspired Fashion
- Space Colonization
- Increasing Use of Space (e.g. Internet satellite arrays)
- Space Risk Assessment
I may later develop some of these into an independent article. The worth of minerals in some asteroids is staggering, and while extraction and return to Earth is still a very challenging task, it is getting nearer to commercial viability.
Companies such as BlueOrigin, SpaceX and Virgin Galactic have already brought space tourism to reality, although currently mainly for short flights in low Earth orbit.
Both Amazon and SpaceX have plans for thousands of small satellites delivering global internet services. SpaceX Starlink already has a couple of thousand satellites in operation, with more than ten thousand planned, while Amazon BlueOrigin Project Kuiper plan more than three thousand satellites.
The 50th anniversary of the moon landing helped propel interest in space and astronomy names. In particular, space-inspired fashion seems to have taken off during the past few years.
Final Thoughts
If you missed last week’s article on astronomical names as brands, here is the link to Astronomical Terms as Brand Names.
What are your favourite constellation and star names for use as brands?
What aspects of space and astronomy development do you think will most impact the need for domain names in the coming decade?
If you have the opportunity this summer, get out to a location away from light pollution, and become more familiar with the night sky. It might not make you a better domainer, but will provide rewards that will stick with you for a lifetime. It is indeed a beautiful universe.
Thanks to NameBio, OpenCorporates and dotDB as sources of data used in this article.