Naming of moons

Short description: none

The naming of moons has been the responsibility of the International Astronomical Union's committee for Planetary System Nomenclature since 1973. That committee is known today as the Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN).

Prior to its formation, the names of satellites have had varying histories. The choice of names is often determined by a satellite's discoverer; however, historically some satellites were not given names for many years after their discovery; for instance, Titan was discovered by Huygens in 1655, but was not named until 1847, almost two centuries later.

Before the IAU assumed responsibility for astronomical nomenclature, only twenty-five satellites had been given names that were in wide use and are still used: 1 of Earth, 2 of Mars, 5 of Jupiter, 10 of Saturn, 5 of Uranus, and 2 of Neptune.[lower-alpha 1] Since then, names have been given to 150 additional planetary and dwarf planetary satellites: 52 satellites of Jupiter, 53 of Saturn, 22 of Uranus, 12 of Neptune, 5 of Pluto, 2 of Haumea, and 1 each of Eris, Gonggong, Quaoar, and Orcus. Names have also been given to some satellites of minor planets, including the dwarf planet candidates Salacia and Varda which have one satellite each. The number will continue to rise as current satellite discoveries are documented and new satellites are discovered.

At the IAU General Assembly in July 2004,[1] the WGPSN suggested it may become advisable to not name small satellites, as CCD technology makes it possible to discover satellites as small as 1 km in diameter. Until 2014, names were applied to all planetary moons discovered, regardless of size. From 2015, some small moons have not received names.

## Contents

* 1 Naming of moons by Solar System object
* 1.1 Earth
* 1.2 Mars
* 1.3 Jupiter
* 1.4 Saturn
* 1.5 Uranus
* 1.6 Neptune
* 1.7 Pluto
* 1.8 Eris
* 1.9 Haumea
* 1.10 Gonggong
* 1.11 Quaoar
* 1.12 Orcus
* 1.13 Asteroids and other trans-Neptunian objects
* 2 Roman numeral designations
* 3 Provisional designations
* 4 Timeline
* 4.1 Pre-IAU names
* 4.2 IAU names
* 4.2.1 20th century
* 4.2.2 21st century
* 5 Other references
* 6 See also
* 7 Notes
* 8 References

## Naming of moons by Solar System object

### Earth

Main article: Astronomy:Moon

Every human language has its own word for the Earth's Moon, and these words are the ones normally used in astronomical contexts. However, a number of fanciful or mythological names for the Moon have been used in the context of astronomy (an even larger number of lunar epithets have been used in non-astronomical contexts). In the 17th century, the Moon was sometimes referred to as Proserpina. More recently, especially in science-fiction content, the Moon has been called Earth I, analogue to the numbering of Jovian moons with roman numbers, or by the Latin name Luna, presumably on the analogy of the Latin names of the planets, or by association with the adjectival form lunar, or a need to differentiate it from other moons that may be present in a fictional setting; however, in several Romance languages, such as Spanish, the word "luna" is often used to refer to any natural satellite in the same way as "moon" in English, which is problematic.

In technical terminology, the word-stems seleno- (from Greek selēnē "moon") and cynthi- (from Cynthia, an epithet of the goddess Artemis or Diana) are sometimes used to refer to the Moon, as in selenography, selenology, and pericynthion.

### Mars

Main article: Astronomy:Moons of Mars

The moons of Mars (Phobos and Deimos) were named by Asaph Hall in 1878, soon after he discovered them. They are named after the sons of the god Ares (the Greek equivalent of the Roman god Mars).

### Jupiter

Main article: Astronomy:Moons of Jupiter

The Galilean moons of Jupiter (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto) were named by Simon Marius soon after their discovery in 1610. However, by the late 19th century these names had fallen out of favor, and for a long time it was most common to refer to them in the astronomical literature simply as "Jupiter I", "Jupiter II", etc., or as "the first satellite of Jupiter", "Jupiter's second satellite", etc.

By the first decade of the 20th century, the names Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto had once again recovered popularity, but the later-discovered moons, numbered, usually in Roman numerals V (5) through XII (12), remained unnamed.[2] By a popular though unofficial convention, Jupiter V, discovered in 1892, was given the name Amalthea,[3] first used by the French astronomer Camille Flammarion.[4]

The other irregular satellites (discovered 1904 to 1951) were, in the overwhelming majority of astronomical literature, simply left nameless. No names were proposed until Brian G. Marsden suggested a nomenclature for these satellites in 1955.[5] Although the 1955 names met with immediate acceptance in some quarters (e.g. in science fiction[6] and popular science articles[7]), they were still rarely if ever met in astronomical literature until the 1970s.[8]

Two other proposals for naming the satellites were made between 1955 and 1975, both by Soviet astronomers, E. I. Nesterovich (in 1962) and Yu. A. Karpenko (in 1973).[9][10] These met no particularly enthusiastic reception.

In 1975, following Charles Kowal's discovery of the satellite Jupiter XIII in 1974, the IAU Task Group for Outer Solar System Nomenclature granted names to satellites V-XIII, and provided for a formal naming process for future satellites to be discovered. Under the new process, Jupiter V continued as Amalthea, Jupiter XIII was named Leda in accordance with a suggestion of Kowal's, and all previous proposals for the seven satellites VI-XII were abandoned in favor of new names, in accordance with a scheme suggested by the German philologist Jürgen Blunck where prograde moons received names ending in 'a' and retrograde moons received names ending in 'e'.[11]

The new names met considerable protest from some quarters. Kowal, despite suggesting a name for Jupiter XIII, was of the opinion that Jupiter's irregular satellites should not be named at all.[12] Carl Sagan noted that the names chosen were extraordinarily obscure (a fact that Tobias Owen, chair of the Task Group, admitted was intentional in a response to Sagan[9]) and suggested his own names in 1976;[13] these preserved some of the names from the 1955 proposal. Karpenko had noted the same in his 1981 book "The Names of the Starry Sky", along with stating that the names chosen for retrograde moons, and therefore the "e" ending, were not always the ones for which it was the more common one.[14]

The proposals are summarized in the table below (data from Icarus unless specified otherwise[9][13]):

Number  | 1955 Proposal
Brian Marsden[5] | 1962 Proposal
E. I. Nesterovich[15] | 1973 Proposal
Yu. A. Karpenko[10] | 1975 Proposal
IAU Committee[9] | 1976 Proposal
Carl Sagan[13]

|
|
|
|
|

Jupiter VI  | Hestia | Atlas | Adrastea  | Himalia | Maia
Jupiter VII  | Hera  | Hercules | Danae  | Elara | Hera
Jupiter VIII  | Poseidon | Persephone | Helen  | Pasiphae | Alcmene
Jupiter IX  | Hades | Cerberus  | Ida  | Sinope | Leto
Jupiter X  | Demeter | Prometheus | Latona  | Lysithea | Demeter
Jupiter XI  | Pan | Dedalus  | Leda  | Carme | Semele
Jupiter XII  | Adrastea | Hephaestus | Semele  | Ananke | Danae

Current practice is that newly discovered moons of Jupiter must be named after lovers or descendants of the mythological Jupiter (Zeus). Blunck's scheme for the outer moons was retained, with the addition that names ending in 'o' could also be used for prograde moons. At the IAU General Assembly in July 2004,[1] the WGPSN allowed Jovian satellites to be named for Zeus' descendants in addition to his lovers and favorites which were the previous source of names, due to the large number of new Jovian satellites that had then recently been discovered. All of Jupiter's satellites from XXXIV (Euporie) on were named for descendants of Zeus, until Jupiter LIII (Dia), named after another one of his lovers.

### Saturn

Main article: Astronomy:Moons of Saturn

In 1847, the seven then known moons of Saturn were named by John Herschel. Herschel named Saturn's two innermost moons (Mimas and Enceladus) after the mythological Greek Giants, and the outer five after the Titans (Titan, Iapetus) and Titanesses (Tethys, Dione, Rhea) of the same mythology. Until then, Titan was known as the "Huygenian (or Huyghenian) satellite of Saturn" and the other moons had Roman numeral designations in order of their distance from Saturn. Subsequent discoverers of Saturnian moons followed Herschel's scheme: Hyperion was discovered soon after in 1848, and the ninth moon, Phoebe, was named by its discoverer in 1899 soon after its discovery; they were named for a Titan and a Titaness respectively. The name of Janus was suggested by its discoverer, Audouin Dollfus.

Current IAU practice for newly discovered inner moons is to continue with Herschel's system, naming them after Titans or their descendants. However, the increasing number of moons that were being discovered in the 21st century caused the IAU to draw up a new scheme for the outer moons. At the IAU General Assembly in July 2004,[1] the WGPSN allowed satellites of Saturn to have names of giants and monsters in mythologies other than the Greco-Roman. Since the outer moons fall naturally into three groups, one group is named after Norse giants, one after Gallic giants, and one after Inuit giants. The only moon that fails to fit this scheme is the Greek-named Phoebe, which is in the Norse group.

### Uranus

Main article: Astronomy:Moons of Uranus

The Roman numbering scheme of Uranus' moons was in a state of flux for a considerable time. Sir William Herschel thought he had discovered up to six moons and maybe even a ring. For nearly fifty years, Herschel's instrument was the only one the moons had been seen with.[16] In the 1840s, better instruments and a more favourable position of Uranus in the sky led to sporadic indications of satellites additional to Titania and Oberon. Publications hesitated between William Herschel's designations (where Titania and Oberon are Uranus II and IV) and William Lassell's (where they are sometimes I and II).[17] With the confirmation of Ariel and Umbriel, Lassell numbered the moons I through IV from Uranus outward, and this finally stuck.[18]

The first two Uranian moons, discovered in 1787, did not receive names until 1852, a year after two more moons had been discovered. The responsibility for naming was taken by John Herschel, son of the discoverer of Uranus. Herschel, instead of assigning names from Greek mythology, named the moons after magical spirits in English literature: the fairies Oberon and Titania from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the sylphs Ariel and Umbriel from Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock (Ariel is also a sprite in Shakespeare's The Tempest). The reasoning was presumably that Uranus, as god of the sky and air, would be attended by spirits of the air.

Subsequent names, rather than continuing the "airy spirits" theme (only Puck and Mab continuing the trend), have focused on Herschel's source material. In 1949, the fifth moon, Miranda, was named by its discoverer, Gerard Kuiper, after a thoroughly mortal character in Shakespeare's The Tempest. Current IAU practice is to name moons after characters from Shakespeare's plays and The Rape of the Lock (although at present only Ariel, Umbriel, and Belinda have names drawn from the latter poem, all the rest being from Shakespeare). All the retrograde irregular moons are named after characters from one play, The Tempest; the only prograde irregular moon, Margaret, is named from Much Ado About Nothing.

### Neptune

Main article: Astronomy:Moons of Neptune

The one known moon (at the time) of Neptune was not named for many decades. Although the name Triton was suggested in 1880 by Camille Flammarion, it did not come into general use until the mid 20th-century, and for many years was considered "unofficial". In the astronomical literature it was simply referred to as "the satellite of Neptune". Later, the second known moon, Nereid, was named by its discoverer in 1949, Gerard P. Kuiper, soon after its discovery.

Current IAU practice for newly discovered Neptunian moons is to accord with these first two choices by naming them after Greek sea deities.

For the "normal" irregular satellites, the general convention is to use names ending in "a" for prograde satellites, names ending in "e" for retrograde satellites, and names ending in "o" for exceptionally inclined satellites, exactly like the convention for the moons of Jupiter.[19]

### Pluto

Pluto and its five moons.[20]

Main article: Astronomy:Moons of Pluto

The name of Pluto's moon Charon was suggested by James W. Christy, its discoverer, soon after its discovery.

The other four moons are named Hydra, Nix, Kerberos, and Styx.

Charon, Hydra, Nix, and Kerberos are all characters in Greek mythology, with ties to Hades (the Greek equivalent of Pluto). Charon ferries the dead across the River Acheron, Hydra guards the waters of the underworld, Nix (a respelling of Nyx) is the mother of Charon and the goddess of darkness and the night, and Kerberos (a respelling of Cerberus) is a giant three-headed dog who guards the entrance to the underworld. The fifth moon is named for the river Styx that forms the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead.

### Eris

Main article: Astronomy:Dysnomia (moon)

The name of Eris's moon Dysnomia was suggested by its discoverer Michael E. Brown, who also suggested the name of the dwarf planet. The name has two meanings: in mythology Dysnomia (lawlessness) is the daughter of Eris (chaos). However, the name is also an intentional reference to the actor Lucy Lawless who plays the character Xena. The background for this is that during the long period when Eris had no formal name, the name 'Xena' – originally Brown's nickname for his discovery – spread and became popular. When the name 'Eris' was chosen, Brown suggested Dysnomia (which until then had been referred to as Gabrielle) as a reference to this.[21] Hence, Dysnomia is the only moon which could be said to be named after an actor. The names Eris and Dysnomia were accepted by the IAU on 14 September 2006.

### Haumea

Main article: Astronomy:Moons of Haumea

The name of Haumea and its moons were suggested by David L. Rabinowitz of Caltech and refer to the mother goddess and her daughters in Hawaiian mythology.

### Gonggong

When the discoverers of Gonggong proposed choices for a public vote on its name, they chose figures that had associates that could provide a name for the satellite.[22] Xiangliu's name was chosen by its discovery team led by Csaba Kiss. The name refers to the venomous nine-headed snake monster and minister of Gonggong who brings floods and destruction in Chinese mythology.[23]

### Quaoar

Quaoar was named after the creator god of the Tongva tribe. Brown, who had co-discovered both Quaoar and its moon, left the name of the moon up to the Tongva. The Tongva chose the sky god Weywot, son of Quaoar.[24]

### Orcus

Main article: Astronomy:Vanth (moon)

On 23 March 2009, Brown asked readers of his weekly column to suggest possible names for the satellite of Orcus which he had codiscovered, with the best one to be submitted to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on 5 April.[25] The name Vanth, the winged Etruscan psychopomp who guides the souls of the dead to the underworld, was chosen from among a large pool of submissions. Vanth was the only suggestion that was purely Etruscan in origin. It was the most popular submission, first suggested by Sonya Taaffe.[26]

The Etruscan Vanth is frequently portrayed in the company of Charun (Charon), and so as the name of the moon of Orcus (nicknamed the "anti-Pluto" because resonance with Neptune keeps it on the opposite side of the Sun from Pluto), it is an allusion to the parallels between Orcus and Pluto. Brown quoted Taaffe as saying that if Vanth "accompanies dead souls from the moment of death to the underworld itself, then of course her face is turned always toward Orcus", a reference to the likely synchronous orbit of Vanth about Orcus.[26]

### Asteroids and other trans-Neptunian objects

Unlike the planets and dwarf planets, relatively few moons orbiting asteroids have been named. Among them are the following:

Name of moon  | Name of primary  | Roman numeral

|
|

Dactyl | 243 Ida | I
Echidna  | 42355 Typhon | I
Linus  | 22 Kalliope | I
Menoetius  | 617 Patroclus | I
Petit-Prince  | 45 Eugenia | I
Phorcys  | 65489 Ceto | I
Remus  | 87 Sylvia | II
Romulus  | 87 Sylvia | I
Sawiskera  | 88611 Teharonhiawako | I
Zoe  | 58534 Logos | I

##  Roman numeral designations

The Roman numbering system for satellites arose with the very first discovery of natural satellites other than Earth's Moon: Galileo referred to the Galilean moons as I through IV (counting from Jupiter outward), refusing to adopt the names proposed by his rival Simon Marius. Similar numbering schemes naturally arose with the discovery of multiple moons around Saturn, Uranus, and Mars. The numbers initially designated the moons in orbital sequence, and were re-numbered after each new discovery; for instance, before the discovery of Mimas and Enceladus in 1789, Tethys was Saturn I, Dione Saturn II, etc.,[27] but after the new moons were discovered, Mimas became Saturn I, Enceladus Saturn II, Tethys Saturn III and Dione Saturn IV.

In the middle of the 19th century, however, the numeration became fixed, and later discoveries failed to conform with the orbital sequence scheme. Amalthea, discovered in 1892, was labelled "Jupiter V" although it orbits more closely to Jupiter than does Io (Jupiter I). The unstated convention then became, at the close of the 19th century, that the numbers more or less reflected the order of discovery, except for prior historical exceptions (see Timeline of discovery of Solar System planets and their natural satellites); though if a large number of satellites were discovered in a short span of time, the group could be numbered in orbital sequence, or according to other principles than strictly by order of discovery. The convention has been extended to natural satellites of minor planets, such as (87) Sylvia I Romulus. The outer irregular satellites of Jupiter (VI through XII) were left officially unnamed throughout this period, although as stated above some unofficial names were used in some contexts.

From 1975 to 2009, the International Astronomical Union was assigning names to all planetary satellites, and Roman numerals were usually not assigned to satellites until they are named. (An exception is Saturn's moon Helene, which received the Roman numeral XII in 1982, but was not named until 1988.) During this period, the use of Roman numeral designations diminished, and some are very rarely used; Phobos and Deimos are rarely referred to as Mars I and Mars II, and the Moon is never referred to as "Earth I". However, since 2015 some moons have again been numbered without being named, starting from Jupiter LI.

The thirteen named satellites of Saturn from Aegir to Surtur were named in alphabetical order corresponding to their Roman numerals.

## Provisional designations

When satellites are first discovered, they are given provisional designations such as "S/2010 J 2" (the 2nd new satellite of Jupiter discovered in 2010) or "S/2003 S 1" (the 1st new satellite of Saturn discovered in 2003). The initial "S/" stands for "satellite", and distinguishes from such prefixes as "D/", "C/", and "P/", used for comets. The designation "R/" is used for planetary rings. These designations are sometimes written like "S/2003 S1", dropping the second space. The letter following the category and year identifies the planet (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune; although no occurrence of the other planets is expected, Mars and Mercury are disambiguated through the use of Hermes for the latter). Pluto was designated by P prior to its recategorization as a dwarf planet. When the object is found around a minor planet, the identifier used is the latter's number in parentheses. Thus, Dactyl, the moon of 243 Ida, was at first designated "S/1993 (243) 1". Once confirmed and named, it became (243) Ida I Dactyl. Similarly, the fourth satellite of Pluto, Kerberos, discovered after Pluto was categorized as a dwarf planet and assigned a minor planet number, was designated S/2011 (134340) 1 rather than S/2011 P 1,[28] though the New Horizons team, who maintained that dwarf planets were planets, used the latter.

* H = Mercury (Hermes)
* V = Venus
* E = Earth
* M = Mars
* J = Jupiter
* S = Saturn
* U = Uranus
* N = Neptune

Note: The assignation of "H" for Mercury is specified by the USGS Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature; since they usually follow IAU guidelines closely, this is very likely the IAU convention, but confirmation is needed: there have been no moons found to be orbiting Mercury as of yet.

After a few months or years, when a newly discovered satellite's existence has been confirmed and its orbit computed, a permanent name is chosen, which replaces the "S/" provisional designation. However, in the past, some satellites remained unnamed for surprisingly long periods after their discovery.

## Timeline

The timeline only includes moons of the planets and the more likely dwarf planets. Ceres (no moons), Orcus, Pluto, Haumea, Quaoar, Makemake (unnamed moon), Gonggong, Eris, and Sedna (no moons) are generally agreed among astronomers to be dwarf planets. Salacia and Varda are more controversial.

### Pre-IAU names

The following names were adopted by informal processes preceding the assumption by the IAU of control over the assignment of satellite nomenclature in 1973.

Pre-IAU Names  Date  | Namer  | Name  | Image  | Planet/Number Designation  | Discovery date  | References/Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|

17th century
1614 | Simon Marius | Io |  | Jupiter I | 1610 | Marius (Simon Mayr), in his book Mundus Iovialis anno M.DC.IX Detectus Ope Perspicilli Belgici, names the Galilean moons, and attributes the suggestion to Johannes Kepler.
Europa |  | Jupiter II
Ganymede |  | Jupiter III
Callisto |  | Jupiter IV
19th century
1847 | John Herschel | Mimas |  | Saturn I | 1789 | Herschel named the seven known satellites of Saturn in his book Results of Astronomical Observations made at the Cape of Good Hope, as reported by William Lassell, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 42–43 January 14, 1848
Enceladus |  | Saturn II
Tethys |  | Saturn III | 1684
Dione |  | Saturn IV
Rhea |  | Saturn V | 1672
Titan |  | Saturn VI | 1655
Iapetus |  | Saturn VIII | 1671
1848 | William Lassell | Hyperion |  | Saturn VII | 1847 | Lassell, following John Herschel's suggested scheme, names Hyperion Discovery of a New Satellite of Saturn, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 8, No. 9, pp. 195–197.
1852 | John Herschel | Ariel |  | Uranus I | 1851 | Herschel named the four known satellites of Uranus in Astronomische Nachrichten, Vol. 34, No. 812, pp. 325/326, 21 June 1852 (communication dated 26 May 1852.)
Umbriel |  | Uranus II
Titania |  | Uranus III | 1787
Oberon |  | Uranus IV
1878 | Asaph Hall | Phobos |  | Mars I | 1877 | Hall named his two newly discovered satellites of Mars Phobus and Deimus: Astronomische Nachrichten, Vol. 92, No. 2187, pp. 47/48 14 March 1878 (signed 7 February 1878). The names were subsequently amended to Phobos and Deimos.
Deimos |  | Mars II
1880 | Camille Flammarion | Triton |  | Neptune I | 1846 | Flammarion suggested the name Triton in his 1880 book Astronomie populaire, p. 591. The name was considered unofficial for decades afterwards.
c. 1893 | Camille Flammarion | Amalthea |  | Jupiter V | 1892 | Flammarion suggested the name Amalthea in correspondence with discoverer E. E. Barnard. Barnard declined to propose any name, however, and Amalthea remained an unofficial name until its adoption by the IAU in 1975.
April 1899 | William Henry Pickering | Phoebe |  | Saturn IX | 1899 | Pickering suggested the name Phoebe in A New Satellite of Saturn, Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 274–276, April 1899, by his brother Edward C. Pickering.
20th century
April 1939 | Seth Barnes Nicholson declines to name satellites of Jupiter he has discovered (Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol. 51, No. 300, pp. 85–94, signed March 1939)
June 1949 | Gerard P. Kuiper | Miranda |  | Uranus V | 1948 | Kuiper proposed the name Miranda in his report of the discovery, The Fifth Satellite of Uranus, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol. 61, No. 360, p. 129, June 1949.
August 1949 | Gerard P. Kuiper | Nereid |  | Neptune II | 1949 | Kuiper proposed the name Nereid in his report of the discovery, The second satellite of Neptune, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol. 61, No. 361, pp. 175–176, August 1949.
1 February 1967 | Audouin Dollfus | Janus |  | Saturn X | 1966 | Dollfus named Janus in a report of 1 February 1967 relating to its discovery (IAUC 1995: Saturn X (Janus)).

### IAU names

The following names were selected through a formal process controlled by the IAU. Only in a few cases is the person who chose the name identified.

#### 20th century

}}. IAUC 7132: Satellites of Uranus (The IAU appears to have adopted these names prior to those reported in IAUC 7479.)  IAU Names - 20th century

Date  | Name  | Image  | Planet/Number Designation  | Discovery date  | References/Notes
7 October 1975 | Himalia | 50px | Jupiter VI | 1904 | IAUC 2846: Satellites of Jupiter. Also confirmed the name Amalthea.
Elara | 50px | Jupiter VII | 1905
Pasiphaë | 50px | Jupiter VIII | 1908
Sinope | 50px | Jupiter IX | 1914
Lysithea | 50px | Jupiter X | 1938
Carme | 50px | Jupiter XI
Ananke | 50px | Jupiter XII | 1951
Leda | 50px | Jupiter XIII | 1974
1982 | Thebe |  | Jupiter XIV | 1979 | Transactions of the International Astronomical Union, Vol. XVIIIA, 1982. Mentioned in IAUC 3872 (in 1983). Also confirmed the name Janus. Saturn XII was also numbered at this time, but left unnamed as "Dione B". In the 1982 announcement Thebe and Adrastea were mistakenly swapped.
Adrastea |  | Jupiter XV
Metis |  | Jupiter XVI
Epimetheus | 50px | Saturn XI | 1980
Telesto |  | Saturn XIII
Calypso |  | Saturn XIV
30 September 1983 | Atlas |  | Saturn XV | 1980 | IAUC 3872: Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn
3 January 1986 | Prometheus |  | Saturn XVI | IAUC 4157: Satellites of Saturn and Pluto
Pandora |  | Saturn XVII
3 January 1986 | Charon |  | Pluto I | 1978 | IAUC 4157: Satellites of Saturn and Pluto. James W. Christy announced the name Charon shortly after his discovery of the satellite in 1978, but the name remained unofficial until its adoption by the IAU in 1986.
8 June 1988
(numbered 1982) | Helene |  | Saturn XII | 1980 | IAUC 4609: Satellites of Saturn and Uranus
8 June 1988 | Cordelia |  | Uranus VI | 1986 | IAUC 4609: Satellites of Saturn and Uranus
Ophelia |  | Uranus VII
Bianca |  | Uranus VIII
Cressida |  | Uranus IX
Desdemona |  | Uranus X
Juliet |  | Uranus XI
Portia |  | Uranus XII
Rosalind |  | Uranus XIII
Belinda |  | Uranus XIV
Puck |  | Uranus XV | 1985
16 September 1991 | Pan |  | Saturn XVIII | 1990 | IAUC 5347: Satellites of Saturn and Neptune
16 September 1991 | Naiad |  | Neptune III | 1989 | IAUC 5347: Satellites of Saturn and Neptune
Thalassa |  | Neptune IV
Despina |  | Neptune V
Galatea |  | Neptune VI
Larissa |  | Neptune VII
Proteus |  | Neptune VIII
Sycorax |  | Uranus XVII
21 August 2000 | Prospero |  | Uranus XVIII | 1999 | IAUC 7479: Satellites of Uranus
Setebos |  | Uranus XIX
Stephano |  | Uranus XX

#### 21st century

For completeness, moons that were left unnamed upon their official numbering have also been included.

IAU Names - 21st century

Date  | Name  | Image  | Planet/Number Designation  | Discovery date  | References/Notes
22 October 2002 | Callirrhoe |  | Jupiter XVII | 1999 | IAUC 7998: Satellites of Jupiter
Themisto |  | Jupiter XVIII | 2000
Megaclite |  | Jupiter XIX | 2001 | Spelled "Magaclite" in IAUC 7998; corrected 29 November 2002 in IAUC 8023: Satellites of Jupiter.
Taygete |  | Jupiter XX | IAUC 7998: Satellites of Jupiter
Chaldene |  | Jupiter XXI
Harpalyke |  | Jupiter XXII | 2000
Kalyke |  | Jupiter XXIII | 2001
Iocaste |  | Jupiter XXIV
Erinome |  | Jupiter XXV
Isonoe |  | Jupiter XXVI
Praxidike |  | Jupiter XXVII
8 August 2003 | Autonoe |  | Jupiter XXVIII | 2002 | IAUC 8177: Satellites of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus
Thyone |  | Jupiter XXIX
Hermippe |  | Jupiter XXX
Aitne |  | Jupiter XXXI
Eurydome |  | Jupiter XXXII
Euanthe |  | Jupiter XXXIII
Euporie |  | Jupiter XXXIV
Orthosie |  | Jupiter XXXV
Sponde |  | Jupiter XXXVI
Kale |  | Jupiter XXXVII
Pasithee |  | Jupiter XXXVIII
8 August 2003 | Ymir |  | Saturn XIX | 2000 | IAUC 8177: Satellites of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus
Paaliaq |  | Saturn XX
Tarvos |  | Saturn XXI
Ijiraq |  | Saturn XXII
Suttungr |  | Saturn XXIII | Spelled "Suttung" in IAUC 8177; emended on 21 January 2005 in IAUC 8471: Satellites of Saturn.
Kiviuq |  | Saturn XXIV | IAUC 8177: Satellites of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus
Mundilfari |  | Saturn XXV
Albiorix |  | Saturn XXVI
Skathi |  | Saturn XXVII | Spelled "Skadi" in IAUC 8177; emended on 21 January 2005 in IAUC 8471: Satellites of Saturn.
Erriapus |  | Saturn XXVIII | Spelled "Erriapo" in IAUC 8177; corrected on 14 December 2007 (USGS)
Siarnaq |  | Saturn XXIX | IAUC 8177: Satellites of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus
Thrymr |  | Saturn XXX | Spelled "Thrym" in IAUC 8177; emended on 21 January 2005 in IAUC 8471: Satellites of Saturn.
8 August 2003 | Trinculo |  | Uranus XXI | 2002 | IAUC 8177: Satellites of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus
21 January 2005 | Narvi |  | Saturn XXXI | 2003 | IAUC 8471: Satellites of Saturn
Methone |  | Saturn XXXII | 2004
Pallene |  | Saturn XXXIII
Polydeuces |  | Saturn XXXIV
30 March 2005 | Hegemone |  | Jupiter XXXIX | 2003 | IAUC 8502: Satellites of Jupiter
Mneme |  | Jupiter XL
Aoede |  | Jupiter XLI
Thelxinoe |  | Jupiter XLII
Arche |  | Jupiter XLIII | 2002
Kallichore |  | Jupiter XLIV | 2003
Helike |  | Jupiter XLV
Carpo |  | Jupiter XLVI
Eukelade |  | Jupiter XLVII
Cyllene |  | Jupiter XLVIII
29 December 2005 | Francisco |  | Uranus XXII | 2006 | IAUC 8648: Satellites of Uranus
Margaret |  | Uranus XXIII
Ferdinand |  | Uranus XXIV
Perdita |  | Uranus XXV
Mab |  | Uranus XXVI
Cupid |  | Uranus XXVII
21 June 2006 | Nix |  | Pluto II | 2005 | IAUC 8723: Satellites of Pluto
Hydra |  | Pluto III
17 July 2006 | Daphnis |  | Saturn XXXV | 2005 | IAUC 8730: Saturn XXXV (Daphnis) = S/2005 S 1
13 September 2006 | Dysnomia |  | Eris I | 2005 | IAUC 8747: (134340) Pluto, (136199) Eris, and (136199) Eris I (Dysnomia)
3 February 2007 | Halimede |  | Neptune IX | 2002 | IAUC 8802: Satellites of Neptune
Psamathe |  | Neptune X | 2003
Sao |  | Neptune XI | 2002
Laomedeia |  | Neptune XII
Neso |  | Neptune XIII
5 April 2007 | Kore |  | Jupiter XLIX | 2003 | IAUC 8826: Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn
5 April 2007 | Aegir |  | Saturn XXXVI | 2004 | IAUC 8826: Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn
Bebhionn |  | Saturn XXXVII
Bergelmir |  | Saturn XXXVIII
Bestla |  | Saturn XXXIX
Farbauti |  | Saturn XL
Fenrir |  | Saturn XLI
Fornjot |  | Saturn XLII
Hati |  | Saturn XLIII
Hyrrokkin |  | Saturn XLIV | Spelled "Hyrokkin" in IAUC 8826; corrected on 31 July 2007 in IAUC 8860: Saturn XLIV (Hyrrokkin)
Kari |  | Saturn XLV | 2006 | IAUC 8826: Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn
Loge |  | Saturn XLVI
Skoll |  | Saturn XLVII
Surtur |  | Saturn XLVIII
20 September 2007 | Anthe |  | Saturn XLIX | 2007 | IAUC 8873: Satellites of Saturn
Jarnsaxa |  | Saturn L | 2006
Greip |  | Saturn LI
Tarqeq |  | Saturn LII | 2007
17 September 2008 | Hiʻiaka |  | Haumea I | 2005 |
Namaka |  | Haumea II | 2005 |
5 May 2009 | Aegaeon |  | Saturn LIII | 2009 | IAUC 9041: New name/designation of satellite of Saturn (LIII), S/2008 S 1. (subscription only)
4 October 2009 | Weywot |  | Quaoar I | 2006 | MPC 67220: New Names of Minor Planets
11 November 2009 | Herse |  | Jupiter L | 2003 | IAUC 9094: Designation and name assigned to S/2003 J 17 (the 50th satellite of Jupiter to be so designated and named): Jupiter L (Herse). (subscription only)
30 March 2010 | Vanth |  | Orcus I | 2005 | MPC 69496: New Names of Minor Planets
18 February 2011 | Actaea |  | Salacia I | 2006 | MPC 73984: New Names of Minor Planets
2 July 2013 | Kerberos |  | Pluto IV | 2011 | IAU1303 News Release
Styx |  | Pluto V | 2012
16 January 2014 | Ilmarë |  | Varda I | 2009 | MPC 86715: New Names of Minor Planets
7 March 2015 | (unnamed) |  | Jupiter LI | 2010 | CBET (Central Bureau Electronic Telegram) 4075: 20150307: Satellites of Jupiter, March 7, 2015 (subscription only)
| Jupiter LII | 2010
Dia |  | Jupiter LIII | 2000
9 June 2017 (numbered)
19 August 2019 (named) | (unnamed) |  | Jupiter LIV | 2016 | MPC 105280: Numbering of Natural Satellites
Names Approved for Five Jovian Satellites
| Jupiter LV | 2003
| Jupiter LVI | 2011
Eirene |  | Jupiter LVII | 2003
Philophrosyne |  | Jupiter LVIII | 2003
(unnamed) |  | Jupiter LIX | 2017
5 October 2017 (numbered)
19 August 2019 (named) | Eupheme |  | Jupiter LX | 2003 | MPC 106505: Numbering of a Natural Satellite
Names Approved for Five Jovian Satellites
25 September 2018 (numbered)
3 October 2018 (named) | (unnamed) |  | Jupiter LXI | 2003 | MPC 111804: Numbering of Natural Satellites
Name Approved for Jovian Satellite: Valetudo
Names Approved for Five Jovian Satellites
Name Approved for Neptunian Satellite: Hippocamp
Valetudo |  | Jupiter LXII | 2016
25 September 2018 (numbered)
19 August 2019 (named) | (unnamed) |  | Jupiter LXIII | 2017
| Jupiter LXIV
Pandia |  | Jupiter LXV
(unnamed) |  | Jupiter LXVI
| Jupiter LXVII
| Jupiter LXVIII
| Jupiter LXIX
| Jupiter LXX
Ersa |  | Jupiter LXXI | 2018
(unnamed) |  | Jupiter LXXII | 2011
25 September 2018 (numbered)
20 February 2019 (named) | Hippocamp |  | Neptune XIV | 2013
5 February 2020 | Xiangliu |  | Gonggong I | 2016 | MPC 121135: New Names of Minor Planets
1 June 2021 (numbered)
24 August 2022 (named) | Gridr |  | Saturn LIV | 2019 | MPC 132212: Numbering of a Natural Satellite
Names Approved for 10 Small Satellites of Saturn
10 August 2021 (numbered)
24 August 2022 (named) | Angrboda | Saturn LV | MPC 133821: Numbering of Natural Satellites
Names Approved for 10 Small Satellites of Saturn
Skrymir | Saturn LVI
Gerd | Saturn LVII
(unnamed) | Saturn LVIII
Eggther | Saturn LIX
(unnamed) | Saturn LX
Beli | Saturn LXI
Gunnlod | Saturn LXII
Thiazzi | Saturn LXIII
(unnamed) | Saturn LXIV
Alvaldi | Saturn LXV
Geirrod | Saturn LXVI
24 March 2026
(numbered) | (unnamed) |  | Uranus XXVIII | 2025 | MPEC 2026-F170 : Numbering of regular satellite Uranus XXVIII
2 June 2026
(numbered) | (unnamed) |  | Jupiter LXXIII | 2003 |
| Saturn LXVII | 2004

## Other references

* Astronomical Headlines
* Astronomical headlines (old)
* Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

## See also

* Timeline of discovery of Solar System planets and their moons
* Astronomical naming conventions
* Provisional designation in astronomy
* Planetary nomenclature
* Name conflicts of solar system objects

## Notes

1. ↑ The Moon; Phobos and Deimos; Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, and Amalthea; Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Rhea, Titan, Hyperion, Iapetus, Phoebe and Janus; Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon and Miranda; Triton and Nereid.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 [1]
2. ↑ Nicholson, Seth Barnes (April 1939). "The Satellites of Jupiter". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 51 (300): 85–94. doi:10.1086/125010. Bibcode: 1939PASP...51...85N. http://adsabs.harvard.edu//full/seri/PASP./0051//0000093.000.html.
3. ↑ Barnard, E. E. (1893). "Jupiter's fifth satellite". Popular Astronomy (1): 76–82.
4. ↑ USGS Astrogeology Research Program, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature[2]
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Marsden, Brian (1955). "Satellite Nomenclature". Journal of the British Astronomical Association 65: 308–310.
6. ↑ Asimov, Isaac (1957). Lucky Starr and the Moons of Jupiter. Doubleday & Co.. ISBN 0-553-29682-5.
7. ↑ Asimov, Isaac (December 1963). "Roll Call". The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
8. ↑ Payne-Gaposchkin, Cecilia; Katherine Haramundanis (1970). Introduction to Astronomy. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-478107-4.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Owen, Tobias (September 1976). "Jovian Satellite Nomenclature". Icarus 29 (1): 159–163. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(76)90113-5. Bibcode: 1976Icar...29..159O.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Журнал "Земля и Вселенная" №6 1973 г
11. ↑ "IAUC 2846: N Mon 1975 (= A0620-00); N Cyg 1975; 1975h; 1975g; 1975i; Sats OF JUPITER". Cbat.eps.harvard.edu. http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/02800/02846.html#Item6.
12. ↑ Kowal, Charles T. (December 1976). "The Case Against Names". Icarus 29 (4): 513. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(76)90071-3. Bibcode: 1976Icar...29..513K.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Sagan, Carl (April 1976). "On Solar System Nomenclature". Icarus 27 (4): 575–576. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(76)90175-5. Bibcode: 1976Icar...27..575S.
14. ↑ Ю. А. Карпенко, "Названия звёздного неба", 1981. pp. 94-96
15. ↑ Nesterovich, E. I. (1962). "On some regularities in structure of systems of planetary satellites". Bulletin of VAGO (Astronomical-Geodetical Society of the U.S.S.R.) 31 (38): 51–56.
16. ↑ Herschel, J.; On the Satellites of Uranus, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 3, No. 5 (March 14, 1834) pp. 35–36
17. ↑ Lassell, W.; Observations of Satellites of Uranus, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 8, No. 3 (January 14, 1848), pp. 43–44
18. ↑ Lassell, W.; Letter from William Lassell, Esq., to the Editor, Astronomical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 33 (signed November 11, 1851), p. 70
19. ↑ M. Antonietta Barucci, ed (2008). "Irregular Satellites of the Giant Planets". The Solar System Beyond Neptune. University of Arizona Press. p. 414. ISBN 9780816527557. http://home.dtm.ciw.edu/users/sheppard/pub/Nicholson2008KBOBook.pdf. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
20. ↑ "Names for New Pluto Moons Accepted by the IAU After Public Vote". IAU Press Release. http://www.iau.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iau1303/.
21. ↑ Tytell, David (2006-09-14). "Tytell, David: All hail Eris and Dysnomia". Skyandtelescope.com. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/home/3916126.html.
22. ↑ "Astronomers Invite the Public to Help Name Kuiper Belt Object". International Astronomical Union. 10 April 2019. https://www.iau.org/news/announcements/detail/ann19021/.
23. ↑ "The People Have Voted on 2007 OR10's Future Name!". The Planetary Society. 29 May 2019. http://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/2019/or10-vote-results.html.
24. ↑ "Heavenly Bodies and the People of the Earth" , Nick Street, Search Magazine, July/August 2008
25. ↑ Michael E. Brown (23 March 2009). "S/1 90482 (2005) needs your help". Mike Brown's Planets (blog). http://www.mikebrownsplanets.com/2009/03/s1-90482-2005-needs-your-help.html.
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Michael E. Brown (6 April 2009). "Orcus Porcus". Mike Brown's Planets (blog). http://www.mikebrownsplanets.com/2009/04/orcus-porcus.html.
27. ↑ Herschel, William (1 January 1790). "Account of the Discovery of a Sixth and Seventh Satellite of the Planet Saturn; With Remarks on the Construction of Its Ring, Its Atmosphere, Its Rotation on an Axis, and Its Spheroidical Figure. By William Herschel, LL.D. F. R. S". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 80: 1–20. doi:10.1098/rstl.1790.0001. Bibcode: 1790RSPT...80....1H.
28. ↑ "Archived copy". http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/cbet/cbet002769.txt.

* v
* t
* e

Natural satellites of the Solar System

Planetary
satellites|

* Terrestrial
* Martian
* Jovian
* Saturnian
* Uranian
* Neptunian

Dwarf-planet
satellites|

* Plutonian
* Haumean
* Makemakean
* Eridian
* OR10
* Quaoaran
* Orcean

Minor-planet moons|

* Main belt binaries:
* Antiope
* Frostia
* Berna
* Tokai
* Ostro
* Balam
* Doppler
* Pauling
* Iwamoto
* Wolff
* Bettig
* Christophedumas
* Trojans:
* Patroclus–Menoetius
* Hektor–Skamandrios
* Iphthime
* Eurydamas
* TNOs:
* Huya
* Typhon–Echidna
* Lempo–Paha–Hiisi
* 2002 UX25
* Logos–Zoe
* Ceto–Phorcys
* Borasisi–Pabu
* Sila–Nunam
* Teharonhiawako–Sawiskera
* Salacia–Actaea
* 2002 WC19
* Altjira
* Varda–Ilmarë
* 2003 AZ84
* Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà–Gǃòʼé ǃHú
* Mors–Somnus
* Manwë–Thorondor
* ǂKá̦gára–ǃHãunu
* 2013 FY27

Ranked by size|

* Planetary-mass moon
* Ganymede
* largest: 5268 km / 0.413 Earths
* Titan
* Callisto
* Io
* Moon
* Europa
* Triton
* Titania
* Rhea
* Oberon
* Iapetus
* Charon
* Umbriel
* Ariel
* Dione
* Tethys
* Dysnomia
* Enceladus
* Miranda
* Vanth
* Proteus
* Mimas
* Ilmarë
* Nereid
* Hiʻiaka
* Actaea
* Hyperion
* ...

* Discovery timeline
* Inner moons
* Irregular moons
* List
* Planetary-mass moons
* Naming
* Subsatellite
* Regular moons
* Trojan moons

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naming of moons. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Astronomy:Naming_of_moons&oldid=4558947"
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template