Finally, all stars and other astronomical phenomena should be capitalized when they are being referred to as specific, named objects. Under this rule, stars should be capitalized (e. g. Alpha Centauri). Galaxies are capitalized, as well: for example, the Andromeda Galaxy.
A common query we ran across in our research was “Are astrology signs capitalized?”.
Only a few signs of the zodiac are automatically capitalized (Capricorn, Gemini, Sagittarius, Taurus). Several of the planets aren’t capitalized. This makes sense for mercury, earth, and mars (which have other meanings, so they’re hedging), but why Venus?
Are zodiac signs capitalized when writing?
Since most of them are names of animals, proper nouns, they should be capitalized when used in sentences. Some of the signs, such as Gemini, Capricorn, Taurus, and Sagittarius are capitalized automatically in writing correction tools. It is imperative that understand each of the zodiac signs to ensure you capitalize it when necessary.
Here is what my research found. proper nouns in English are always capitalized. However, common nouns are only capitalized in several instances, such as when they appear at the beginning of the sentence. Zodiac signs are also part of a special group of words in English language called “Capitonyms”.
Do you capitalize stars in astronomy?
Note that NASA and other space agencies sometimes bend this rule by incorporating all-capitalized names for spacecraft. Finally, all stars and other astronomical phenomena should be capitalized when they are being referred to as specific, named objects. Under this rule, stars should be capitalized (e. g. Alpha Centauri).
When to use capital letters in astronomy?
When to Capitalize in Astronomy. In general, the IAU rules explain that capitals should be used whenever referring to a specific body or vessel. For example, all planets should be capitalized: Mercury, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, and so on. In addition, all human space probes should be capitalized: Cassini, New Horizons, Spirit, Opportunity, etc.
You might be asking “Do you capitalize the names of planets?”
In general, all planets, stars, and spacecraft should be capitalized as proper nouns – a grammatical category referring to the proper names of specific people (e. g. Nicolaus Copernicus), places (e. g. Minnesota), and things (e. g. USS Constitution).