It seems that I should know this. There is a vague bell going off, but just can't summon it up and it is only linked to a couple of the names. I keep thinking Cressida, Cressida, what does that remind me of???? I will wait for clues.

Cynthia

Good morning all!! Rainy here, but I work today, so that's OK. Interesting question. All women's names. Old-fashioned. I wonder if they all have flowers named for them - maybe roses??

Back tonight. Nancy.

I'm thinking along the same line as Nancy, I recognize the names of some roses in the list of names given.

Annette

Here's the rest of the twenty-seven. Don't know if it will help.

Cupid, Belinda, Perdita, Puck, Mab, Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon, Francisco, Caliban, Stephano, Trinculo, Sycorax, Margaret, Prospero, Setebos, Ferdinand.

Two of these are actually not from Shakespeare. Any English majors want to try a little side trivia question and tell us which two? >:)

As a night owl and gazer I learned these though had forgotten some of the names. Two of the ones I remembered are Belinda and Umbriel because they are not Shakespearean.

Mmmmmmm, something viewed in the night sky ?

Annette

There was a bit of a cryptic clue in my original post:
In addition to being characters in plays, these names are also known, at least in certain circles, to have something else in common.

Uh-huh! So, star systems, like Ursus? Or one star system? Even when you give hints, it is hard, TM. Waiting for more clues!!!

Nancy.

Ah, with the addition of Titania, I think I may know. Fourth graders love studying the solar system. It is our solar system, but not sure how far out I need to go. memory like a sieve, dont you know! Wonder how lovely it would be to look into the night sky filled with these.

Cynthia

I recently read "The Philosophical Breakfast Club" by Laura J. Snyder which told much of the story of John Herschel responsible for naming (in 1852) the then known ones though his father, William Herschel discovered the first two in 1787 as well as the major body in 1781. Little is said in this book about this specific topic but much on the general subject.

These are the moons (satellites) around Uranus. William Herschel was the first person to "discover" a planet, Uranus, through star sweeping. Later he found the first two satellites which I think he called I and II.

Wow! Good for you, Bobbie. You even knew which two names were not from Shakespeare and you're not even an English major (unless you did a double major?). I am impressed.

Five stars and a Huzzah! for Bobbie.

Cynthia, I think you were getting close, at least in the right solar system. for you!

I didn't know that some of the names were used for roses. Interesting. There was also a Toyota model called the Cressida, I believe.

TM

Bobbie, who are you?? Really?? lol. Seriously impressed.

Nancy.

My DH was a English major. We joke that he should have been the math major and I the English major as I am better at English/reading and he is better at math. I went with math because it was challenging. Science was my real love and I would have liked to study genetics but as the first of my family to attend college being a teacher was considered a high goal. Today women can soar!

"The Philosophical Breakfast Club" was a Christmas gift. Probably not one I would have chosen as I am more interested in fiction, especially speculative fiction and mysteries.