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1+---
2+sort: 3
3+title: Glossary of Urbit Terms
4+---
5+
6+# Glossary of Urbit Terms
7+
8+Here is a simple overview of the most common Urbit terms. Once you understand this, you know almost everything you need to start using Urbit.
9+
10+## The Universe in a Table
11+
12+ Size Name Parent Object Example
13+ ----- ------ ------ ------ -------
14+ 2^8 galaxy ~ datacenter ~zod
15+ 2^16 star galaxy sysadmin ~doznec
16+ 2^32 planet star user ~tasfyn-partyv
17+ 2^64 moon planet device ~sigsam-nimbot-tasfyn-partyv
18+ 2^128 comet ~ bot ~racmus-mollen-fallyt-linpex--watres-sibbur-modlux-rinmex
19+ any urbit * * ~somnym-anynym
20+
21+> The below summary is also available [here](http://urbit.org/posts/address-space/).
22+
23+An Urbit identity is a string like `~firbyr-napbes`. It
24+means nothing, but it's easy to remember and say out loud.
25+`~firbyr-napbes` is actually just a 32-bit number, like an IP address,
26+that we turn into a human-memorable string.
27+
28+Technically, an urbit is a secure digital identity that you own and
29+control with a cryptographic key, like a Bitcoin wallet. As in
30+Bitcoin, the supply of urbits is mathematically limited. This keeps
31+the network friendly, by making spam and abuse expensive.
32+
33+An urbit name is just a number; smaller numbers make shorter names.
34+Shorter names are easier to remember, so they're more valuable. So
35+urbits are classified by the number of bits in their name. (A ship
36+name is just a scrambled base-256 representation of the number.)
37+
38+A 32-bit urbit (like `~firbyr-napbes`) is called a "planet." A 16-bit
39+urbit (like `~pollev)` is a "star." An 8-bit ship (like `~mun`) is a
40+"galaxy." A planet is an identity for an independent, adult human.
41+Stars and galaxies are network infrastructure.
42+
43+Each planet or star is launched by its "parent," the star or galaxy
44+whose number is its bottom half. So the planet `~firbyr-napbes`,
45+`0xdead.beef` or `3.735.928.559`, is the child of `~pollev`, `0xbeef`
46+or `48.879`, whose parent is `~mun`, `0xef`, `239`. The parent of
47+`~mun` and all galaxies is `~zod`, `0`.
48+
49+