Abstract
Problem: How do you create a systematic naming convention for every star, planet, and moon in an entire galaxy — one that's both pronounceable and encodes spatial information?
Approach: Tim Cain designed a coordinate-based naming system that divides the galaxy into a hierarchical 20×20×20 grid, maps each axis to consonants, then inserts vowels to create pronounceable names.
Findings: The system yields over 500 billion addressable cells (enough for every star in the Milky Way), where stripping vowels from any name instantly reveals its galactic coordinates. Planets get numbers by orbital position, moons get lowercase letters, and binary systems use stroke notation.
Key insight: By separating consonants (structural/spatial data) from vowels (cosmetic/pronounceability), a single name can serve as both a human-readable label and a machine-readable coordinate.
The Core Idea
Tim Cain pulled this system from his "idea book" — a notebook at least 15 years old at the time of recording. He originally designed it to name stellar systems, stars, planets, and moons for science fiction settings. He considered using it for The Outer Worlds when development started about eight years prior, but the team went with a different system. The galactic coordinate scheme never made it into the game's lore, though Tim noted it could still appear in sequels.
How the System Works
Step 1: Build the Alphabet
Start with the 26-letter English alphabet. Remove all vowels (A, E, I, O, U) and Y (treated as a vowel here). This leaves 20 consonants.
Step 2: Divide the Galaxy into a Hierarchical Grid
Take the Milky Way and divide it into a 20×20×20 grid. Each axis position maps to one of the 20 consonants, so any cell in this top-level grid is identified by three consonants (X, Y, Z).
Then subdivide each cell into another 20×20×20 grid — another three consonants.
Then subdivide again — a third set of three consonants.
This yields 20⁹ cells (over 500 billion), which comfortably covers the estimated 100+ billion stars in the Milky Way. On average, each smallest cell contains about half a star — meaning roughly every other cell has a star in it.
Step 3: Name the Stars
The nine consonants (three per grid level) are kept in order and form the star's galactic coordinate. Vowels are inserted between consonants to make the name pronounceable. Certain consonant pairs that sound natural together (like CH or ST) can be left without an inserted vowel.
If multiple stars share the same cell, they get the same consonant skeleton but different vowel patterns, giving them distinct but spatially-related names.
Step 4: Name Planets and Moons
- Planets are numbered by orbital position (1, 2, 3...)
- Moons are given lowercase letters by their orbit (a, b, c...)
- Binary systems use stroke notation (e.g., "/1" and "/2")
Worked Example
Tim demonstrated with a random coordinate: GWN-CVQ-PLT
| Element | Name |
|---|---|
| Star | Gown Cavic Pelt |
| Second star in same cell | Gonic Vi Pluit (different vowels, same consonants) |
| 4th planet | Gown Cavic Pelt 4 |
| 3rd moon of 4th planet | Gown Cavic Pelt 4c |
| Binary star pair | Gown Cavic Pelt/1, Gown Cavic Pelt/2 |
| Binary 4th planet | Gown Cavic Pelt 4/1, Gown Cavic Pelt 4/2 |
The Elegant Property
The system's power: strip the vowels from any name, and you get the galactic coordinate. Just from hearing a star's name, you know where in the galaxy it sits. The consonant skeleton is the address; the vowels are decoration.
Scalability and Adaptations
Tim noted the system handles non-uniform star density — cells don't have to be physically equal in size. Denser regions (like the galactic center) can have smaller cells, while sparse outer regions have larger ones.
For galaxies larger than the Milky Way, simply add another grid layer (12 consonants instead of 9), scaling to 20¹² cells. The system is also alphabet-agnostic — any writing system with a consonant/vowel distinction could adapt it.
Context and Status
Tim described this as a "Friday Funday" idea share. He expressed interest in using it for an open-galaxy exploration game someday, and invited his audience to propose improvements — particularly around vowel insertion rules for better-sounding names.