Galaxy Names
Our own galaxy got its name from the Greeks, who called the pale band across the night sky galaxias kyklos, the “milky circle” — the root of both “galaxy” and “Milky Way.” Most of the two trillion or so galaxies in the observable universe only have catalog numbers, but a few dozen have earned real names from their shape, their constellation or the astronomer who studied them.
Below are 100+ galaxy names: famous real galaxies with notes on how they were named, galaxy groups and clusters, original galaxy names for sci-fi worldbuilding, and cosmic names for babies, pets and projects. For more of the night sky, visit our space names, star names and constellation names.
Famous galaxies and their names
Named galaxies you can find in astronomy books, many visible with a backyard telescope. “M” numbers come from Charles Messier’s 18th-century catalog.
| Galaxy | Catalog / type | How it got its name |
|---|---|---|
| Milky Way | Our home, barred spiral | Greek “milky circle,” from Hera’s spilled milk in myth |
| Andromeda | M31, spiral | Lies in the constellation of the Greek princess Andromeda |
| Triangulum | M33, spiral | Found in the constellation Triangulum, “the triangle” |
| Large Magellanic Cloud | Satellite of the Milky Way | Named for Ferdinand Magellan, whose crew recorded it |
| Small Magellanic Cloud | Dwarf irregular | Companion to the Large Magellanic Cloud |
| Whirlpool | M51, spiral | Its swirling arms, first sketched by Lord Rosse in 1845 |
| Sombrero | M104, spiral | Looks like a Mexican sombrero hat |
| Pinwheel | M101, spiral | Face-on arms like a spinning toy |
| Black Eye | M64, spiral | Dark dust band over its bright core |
| Cigar | M82, starburst | Long, narrow shape |
| Bode’s Galaxy | M81, spiral | After astronomer Johann Elert Bode |
| Sunflower | M63, spiral | Patchy arms like seeds in a sunflower head |
| Cartwheel | Ring galaxy | Wagon-wheel shape after a collision |
| Tadpole | Disrupted spiral | Long tail of stars |
| Antennae | NGC 4038/4039, merging pair | Tidal tails like insect antennae |
| Mice | NGC 4676, merging pair | Two long “tails” |
| Hoag’s Object | Ring galaxy | After astronomer Arthur Hoag, who found it in 1950 |
| Sculptor Galaxy | NGC 253, starburst spiral | In the constellation Sculptor; also the “Silver Coin” |
| Southern Pinwheel | M83, barred spiral | Southern-sky twin of the Pinwheel |
| Centaurus A | NGC 5128, radio galaxy | Brightest radio source in Centaurus |
| Messier 87 | M87, giant elliptical | Its black hole was the first ever imaged (2019) |
| Needle Galaxy | NGC 4565, edge-on spiral | Thin as a needle from Earth |
| Fireworks Galaxy | NGC 6946, spiral | Many supernovae seen in it |
| Phantom Galaxy | M74, spiral | Faint and hard to spot |
| Condor Galaxy | NGC 6872 | One of the largest known spirals, shaped like a bird |
| Eye of Sauron | NGC 4151 | Bright core that resembles Tolkien’s eye |
| Comet Galaxy | Spiral in cluster Abell 2667 | Being stripped into a comet-like tail |
| Porpoise Galaxy | NGC 2936 | Looks like a porpoise |
| Backward Galaxy | NGC 4622 | Arms appear to wind the “wrong” way |
| Hockey Stick | NGC 4656 | Bent like a hockey stick |
| Coma Pinwheel | M99, spiral | Pinwheel-like spiral in Coma Berenices |
| Bear’s Paw | NGC 2537, dwarf | Looks like a paw print |
| Spindle Galaxy | NGC 5866, lenticular | Seen edge-on like a spindle |
| Little Sombrero | NGC 7814, spiral | Smaller cousin of the Sombrero |
| Lost Galaxy | NGC 4535, spiral | So faint it seems to vanish in small telescopes |
| Butterfly Galaxies | NGC 4567/4568 | Overlapping pair, also called the Siamese Twins |
| Barnard’s Galaxy | NGC 6822, dwarf irregular | After E. E. Barnard, who found it in 1884 |
| Ghost of Mirach | NGC 404 | Hides in the glare of the star Mirach |
| Starfish Galaxy | NGC 6240, merger | Irregular star-like shape |
| Lindsay–Shapley Ring | AM 0644-741, ring galaxy | Named after two astronomers |
| Circinus Galaxy | Active spiral | In the southern constellation Circinus |
Dwarf galaxies and record breakers
Small neighbors of the Milky Way and a few galaxies famous for their size or distance.
| Galaxy | What it is | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Sagittarius Dwarf | Dwarf spheroidal | Being absorbed by the Milky Way |
| Canis Major Dwarf | Possible dwarf galaxy | Proposed closest neighbor, disputed |
| Leo I | Dwarf spheroidal | Satellite of the Milky Way in Leo |
| Draco Dwarf | Dwarf spheroidal | Faint satellite in Draco |
| Wolf–Lundmark–Melotte | Dwarf irregular | Named after three astronomers |
| IC 1101 | Giant elliptical | Among the largest galaxies known |
| Malin 1 | Giant low-brightness spiral | Huge, ghostly disk |
| GN-z11 | Very distant galaxy | Seen as it was ~400 million years after the Big Bang |
| JADES-GS-z14-0 | Very distant galaxy | Found by the James Webb Space Telescope |
| Pegasus Dwarf | Dwarf irregular | In the constellation Pegasus |
| Fornax Dwarf | Dwarf spheroidal | Has its own globular clusters |
| Alcyoneus | Giant radio galaxy | Radio lobes about 16 million light-years across |
| Cosmos Redshift 7 | Distant galaxy | Early galaxy seen in the COSMOS survey |
Galaxy groups, clusters and superclusters
Galaxies live in families. These names are real and wonderfully grand. Our planet names hub covers the worlds closer to home.
| Name | What it is | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Local Group | Our galaxy group | Milky Way, Andromeda, Triangulum and dozens of dwarfs |
| Virgo Cluster | Galaxy cluster | More than 1,000 galaxies |
| Coma Cluster | Galaxy cluster | Where Fritz Zwicky inferred dark matter in 1933 |
| Laniakea | Supercluster | Hawaiian for “immense heaven,” named in 2014 |
| Stephan’s Quintet | Compact group | Five galaxies, famous in Webb images |
| Bullet Cluster | Colliding clusters | Key evidence for dark matter |
| Fornax Cluster | Galaxy cluster | In the southern constellation Fornax |
| Hercules Cluster | Galaxy cluster | Rich in spirals |
| Shapley Supercluster | Supercluster | After astronomer Harlow Shapley |
| Seyfert’s Sextet | Compact group | After Carl Seyfert |
| Leo Triplet | Small group | Three spirals: M65, M66 and NGC 3628 |
| El Gordo | Colliding cluster | Spanish for “the fat one” |
| Perseus Cluster | Galaxy cluster | Brightest cluster in X-rays |
| Sloan Great Wall | Galaxy filament | Enormous wall of galaxies |
Made-up galaxy names for sci-fi and worldbuilding
Original names for the galaxies in your novel, game or campaign — they borrow real naming patterns: mythology, shape and discoverer. Pair with our sci-fi names.
| Galaxy name | Style | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Elysian Spiral | Mythic, heavenly | Peaceful core worlds |
| Vortara | Swirling, invented | Space-opera empire |
| The Silver Veil | Poetic | Mysterious frontier |
| Kaelus Expanse | Latin-flavored | Explored territory |
| Ophira Cluster | Biblical-exotic | Rich mining region |
| Nyxara | Night goddess root | Dark, dangerous galaxy |
| Cindervane | Burning, stormy | War-torn galaxy |
| The Pale Wheel | Shape-based | Ancient, dim galaxy |
| Aurion Reach | Golden | Wealthy trade galaxy |
| Thalassa Nebular | Ocean-like | Water-world region |
| Crown of Hesper | Evening-star myth | Royal home galaxy |
| Obsidian Rift | Dark, sharp | Void between galaxies |
| Serenade Spiral | Musical | Utopian civilization |
| Kharon’s Gate | Underworld ferryman | Border of known space |
| Lumen Drift | Light, slow | Nomad fleets |
| Zephyria | West-wind myth | Young, star-forming galaxy |
Galaxy-inspired names for babies, pets and projects
Cosmic words that work as real names. Explore names that mean star, names that mean moon and names that mean sky for more.
| Name | Meaning / connection | Works for |
|---|---|---|
| Nebula | Latin, “mist, cloud” | Pet, ship, project |
| Cosmo | Greek kosmos, “order, universe” | Boy or pet |
| Lyra | Constellation of the lyre | Girl |
| Stella | Latin, “star” | Girl |
| Astro | Greek, “star” | Dog or robot |
| Celeste | Latin, “heavenly” | Girl |
| Orion | The hunter constellation | Boy |
| Vega | Brightest star in Lyra | Girl or unisex |
| Sirius | Brightest star in the night sky | Boy or dog |
| Galaxia | Spanish/Portuguese, “galaxy” | Girl or project |
| Magellan | Explorer honored by the Magellanic Clouds | Boy |
| Halley | After Halley’s Comet | Girl |
| Nova | Latin, “new”; a star that suddenly brightens | Girl |
| Quasar | Ultra-bright galactic core | Gamer tag or team |
| Zenith | Highest point in the sky | Unisex or project |
| Aurora | Latin, “dawn” | Girl |
How galaxies get their names (and how to name your own)
- By catalog number. Most galaxies are just M, NGC or IC numbers — Messier, the New General Catalogue and the Index Catalogue.
- By constellation. Andromeda, Triangulum, Sculptor and Fornax are named for the constellation they appear in.
- By shape. Whirlpool, Sombrero, Cartwheel and Cigar all describe what astronomers saw through the eyepiece.
- By discoverer. Bode’s Galaxy, Hoag’s Object and the Magellanic Clouds honor people.
- For fiction, mix the methods. A shape plus a myth (the Pale Wheel of Hesper) sounds convincingly real; see our Greek god names for mythic roots.
Frequently asked questions
What are the names of galaxies?
Well-known galaxies include the Milky Way, Andromeda, Triangulum, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, Whirlpool, Sombrero, Pinwheel, Black Eye, Cigar and Cartwheel.
Why is it called the Milky Way?
The name comes from the Latin via lactea, a translation of the Greek galaxias kyklos, “milky circle.” Greek myth said it was milk spilled by the goddess Hera.
What is the closest galaxy to the Milky Way?
The Canis Major Dwarf and Sagittarius Dwarf are the closest known, though Canis Major’s status is debated. The closest large spiral galaxy is Andromeda, about 2.5 million light-years away.
How many galaxies are there?
Estimates vary widely; studies suggest the observable universe holds hundreds of billions to around two trillion galaxies. Only a small fraction have popular names.
What is the biggest known galaxy?
IC 1101 is often cited as one of the largest, and Alcyoneus is a giant radio galaxy whose jets span about 16 million light-years.