Mythological Naming - Part 2

ecuip.lib.uchicago.edu

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Last week I discussed the naming of The Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Today I will be discussing the naming of the Earth and the Moon.

The Earth, the planet for which we reside may also be known as Gaia (by the Greeks), or by Terra, Gaea, and Tellus meaning “Earth Mother” by the Romans. She sits a mere 93 million miles away from the Sun in a zone known as the “habitat zone” amongst astronomers. This is the zone where scientist believe life is able to be created and sustained (give or take a few million miles either direction dependent on the size of the host planets star). In the days of the Greeks, common knowledge was that the Earth sat in the center of the Universe and all objects revolved around her – The moon, The Sun, and all planets. It wasn’t until the time of Copernicus and Galileo where this idea faltered. Copernicus was the first to mention that the Earth was not the center of the Universe, but that it was another body which orbited the Sun. Galileo, some years later proved this by peering through his telescope and viewing the planet Jupiter and four of its moons. He witnesses that these moons were orbiting around Jupiter and not that of Earth. From this, he concluded that Earth was not the center of the Universe and that the Earth too, revolved around the Sun.

Have you ever looked up in to the night sky and wondered why the Moon has no official name? I have and I have even talked to my mother about it as a kid. I would ask why every other moon in the solar system is named after something but our moon is not. Needless to say, I was wrong in believing our moon has no name. In actuality, it has many names derived from multiple different languages. Diana, or Luna, the Roman goddess of the Moon, animals, and hunting. Luna gives us “lunar” from Latin lucere, meaning “to shine” (wyzant). In Greek, the moon was known as Selene and Artemis.

Most, if not all of what we use today when it comes to names, such as the days of the week, our calendar, and so forth all derive from Greek and Roman mythology. They have had a huge impact on the way things are seen in present day and will continue long in to the future.

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Resources

"Ask an Astronomer." Cool Cosmos. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

"Astronomy and Space for Kids." Astronomy and Space for Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

"How Do Planets and Their Moons Get Their Names?" How Do Planets and Their Moons Get Their Names? High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center, Aug. 2002. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

"How the Planets and Satellites Got Their Names." How the Planets and Satellites Got Their Names. Sandbox Networks, Inc., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

"The Planets of the Solar System: A Quick Guide to Their Mythological Name Origins." Origins of Planet Names: A Quick Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.