Many mums-to-be seek inspiration from exotic places around the globe when it comes to naming their newborn.
But few ever think about places above us, way up there in the sky.
We’ve come up with a list of some really sweet names for boys and girls that will have the astronomy-loving side of you very happy indeed.
Here are our favourites…
GIRLS
Aurora – Aurora Borealis, anyone?!
Bianca – a small moon of Uranus
Carina - a constellation containing Canopus, the second-brightest star in the sky
Elara – a moon of Jupiter
Halley – the only short-period comet clearly visible by the human eye from Earth
Juliet – a moon of Uranus
Luna - the Latin word for moon
Lyra – a harp-like constellation in the northern hemisphere
Nova – an explosion causing a sudden increase in the brightness of a star
Ophelia – a small moon of Uranus
Phoebe – a moon of Saturn
Portia – a large moon of Uranus
Rhea - one of Saturn's moons
Stella - Latin for star, variations Estelle / Estella
Venus – the second-closest planet to the Sun
BOYS
Archer – the 12th brightest star in the sky
Hunter – the constellation Orion (see below) was personified as a hunter in Greek mythology
Leo – one of the earliest recognised constellations, it contains many bright stars
Nash – a star located in the constellation Sagittarius.
Orion – a constellation named after the hunter in Greek mythology.
Phoenix – a small constellation in the southern sky
Sirius – the brightest star in the night sky, it means ‘glowing’ in Ancient Greek.
