OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Black Hole Name Generator
Catalogue Designations, Proper Names and Spacer Nicknames for Sci-Fi Singularities
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How the Black Hole Name Generator works
This black hole name generator gives a dead star three kinds of name: a catalogue designation such as XRB J1742-27, a proper name such as the Maw of Cassian or Erebus, and the spacer nickname such as Old Greedy or the Long Drop. Use them for maps, star charts, ship logs and campaign settings.
How the black hole name generator names things
Real black holes are mostly known by catalogue codes. Cygnus X-1 was the first one confirmed, and Sagittarius A* sits at the centre of our galaxy. Codes like these combine a survey or object type with sky coordinates, which is what the Catalogue designation kind copies: an object prefix, a right ascension, a plus or minus sign and a declination. Survey-style codes use a mission name and a number instead.
Proper names and nicknames
Once people live near a black hole, they stop using the code. Astronomers and empires borrow names from the underworld myths of many cultures, Erebus, Tartarus, Ammit or Apep, or describe the thing as a maw, a throat or a well. Spacers who have to fly past one are less poetic. They call it the Plughole, the Long Drop or Old Greedy, the way sailors named a dangerous reef.
Using black holes in a setting
A black hole makes a good landmark because it bends everything around it: trade routes, time, and the nerves of the crew. Give the same one a code, a proper name and a nickname, and you can tell which characters are scientists, officials or pilots by the name they use. For the stars and systems around it, try the star system name generator and the nebula name generator; for the ships it swallowed, the starship name generator.
FAQ
How are real black holes named?
Most are named by catalogue. Cygnus X-1 means the first X-ray source found in Cygnus, and Sagittarius A* is the radio source at the galactic centre. Others carry codes that combine a survey prefix with their sky coordinates.
What makes a good fictional black hole name?
Match the name to whoever is speaking. A survey code suits a science officer, a mythic name suits an empire's star chart, and a rude nickname suits the pilots who have to fly close to it every week.
Can I use these names in my book or game?
Yes. The designations are invented, the myth names are public-domain words, and the nicknames are ordinary English. Check that a name is not a real catalogue object if accuracy matters for hard science fiction.
See also: all Sci-fi tools, People, Fantasy & RPG, Culture & Language, Online & Social, Business & Brand, Places & Things.
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