There are so many astronomical objects out there behaving in mysterious ways that astronomers are still trying to figure out. A brand new set of words and language has to be invented every time something is discovered and that is part of what makes the study of space so interesting. There’s so much out there that is waiting to be found.
The use of mythological and ancient names to name all the objects that are in space has also always given astronomy an air of mystery and wonder that attracts all kinds of people and incentivizes them to look at the sky every night.
There are so many space-related words and terms that it is hard to keep up.
This is why below, we have compiled a list of space words that start with V so you can learn more about the study of the universe. These are words that are related to astronomy and space, if what you are looking for is specifically for name ideas or the names of objects, check out our lists of star names, planets, or constellations. You will also find those sorted by letter.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Vacuum | A space devoid of matter, commonly used in the context of the vacuum of space. |
| Van Allen Belts | Zones of charged particles trapped by Earth’s magnetic field, extending into space. |
| Vanth | A moon of the dwarf planet Eris, named after a winged Etruscan deity. |
| Varuna | A trans-Neptunian object and a candidate for a dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt. |
| Vega | A bright star in the constellation Lyra. |
| Veil Nebula | A large supernova remnant located in the constellation Cygnus. |
| Vela | A southern constellation representing the sails of a ship. |
| Venus | The second planet from the Sun, often called the “evening star” or “morning star”. |
| Vernal Equinox | The point in Earth’s orbit where the Sun crosses the celestial equator, marking the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. |
| Very Large Telescope (VLT) | A group of large optical telescopes operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). |
| Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) | A technique in radio astronomy that uses multiple telescopes to create a virtual telescope with a baseline as long as the separation between the telescopes. |
| Vesta | One of the largest asteroids in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. |
| Virgo Constellation | The zodiacal constellation representing a maiden, known for hosting the Virgo Cluster. |
| Virgo Supercluster | A massive structure composed of multiple galaxy clusters, including our own Local Group, of which the Milky Way is a part. |
| Virial Theorem | A theorem in astrophysics used to relate the total kinetic and potential energies of a system, often applied to estimate the masses of celestial objects. |
| Voyager | A pair of spacecraft launched by NASA to study the outer planets and continue their journey into interstellar space. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. |
| Vulcan | A hypothetical innermost planet that was once believed to exist between Mercury and the Sun due to certain irregularities in Mercury’s orbit. |
| Vulcanoid | Hypothetical small rocky bodies that might exist in an orbit between Mercury and the Sun. |
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