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Space names for your pet: stars, planets and space explorers

Ask your vet about your own pet. This page is general information from the sources below.

Space names come with true stories. Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, is called the Dog Star. In 1960 two dogs, Belka and Strelka, flew around Earth and came home safely. And Pluto was named in 1930 by Venetia Burney, an 11-year-old girl in England who suggested the name.

By Peabody editors. How we write and check.

21 names, good for any pet.

ShortlistNameBoy or girlWhere it comes from
LunaGirlLatin for the Moon.
StellaGirlLatin for star.
SiriusBoyThe Dog Star, the brightest star in the night sky. Great for a dog.
BelkaGirlA dog who flew around Earth in 1960 and came home safely. Great for a dog.
StrelkaGirlBelka's flight partner in 1960. Great for a dog.
VenetiaGirlVenetia Burney, the 11-year-old who suggested the name Pluto in 1930.
PlutoBoyThe dwarf planet out past Neptune.
CometEitherAn icy traveler with a glowing tail. Great for a dog or fish.
HalleyEitherHalley's Comet, which comes back about every 76 years.
NovaGirlA star that suddenly shines much brighter.
OrionBoyThe hunter constellation, with three stars for a belt.
VegaEitherOne of the brightest stars in the summer sky.
ApolloBoyThe missions that took people to the Moon.
SputnikEitherThe first satellite, launched in 1957.
YuriBoyYuri Gagarin, the first person in space, in 1961.
ValentinaGirlValentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, in 1963.
NeilBoyNeil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon, in 1969.
SallyGirlSally Ride, the first American woman in space, in 1983.
HamBoyThe chimpanzee who flew into space in 1961 and came back safely.
EuropaGirlAn icy moon of Jupiter.
CosmoBoyFrom cosmos: the whole universe.

Tick the names you like, then take them to a family vote.