Astronomy Pronunciation Guide

By Space.com Staff
published

Some astronomical names can be a little difficult to pronounce.  For example, the constellation Boötes is pronounced "boo-OH-tees" not "Boots" or "Booties".  In some cases careful pronunciation may be necessary to avoid embarrassment as in the case of Uranus, which is pronounced "Yoor-a-nus", not "Your-anus".

The pronunciation guide will help you learn how to correctly pronounce the names of hundreds of celestial objects from different categories such as stars, constellations and planets.

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Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
News and editorial team

Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.