ORIGIN OF THE NAMES

Details, structures and features on solar system bodies surfaces

Names assigned to the craters, volcanoes, valleys, "seas" and other details glimpses the surface of planets, satellites and asteroids whose observation permits, are extracted from the following topics.

Structures seen on the surfaces of solar system bodies have received Latin names that can be translated as follows:


Craters	craters
Catena	crater chain
Dorsa	ridge systems
Dorsum	ridge
Lacus	lake
Mare	sea
Mons	mountain
Montes	mountain range
Oceanus	ocean
Palus	swamp
Promontorium	cape
Rima	grove
Rimae	grove system
Rupes	fault
Sinus	gulf
Vallis	valley

MERCURY


Craters	artists, musicians, painters, famous writers, died for over 3 years.
Mountains	from latin "Caloris", heat
Plains	names of Mercury in differents languages
Cavity	names of ships of explorers and scientific expeditions
Valleys	names of radiotelescopes

VENUS (generic terms are in latin)


Chasmata	goddesses of hunt
Colles	goddesses of sea
Coronae	goddesses of earth and fertility
Craters	craters larger than 20km: famous women; craters smaller than 20km: women first names
Dorsa	goddesses of the sky
Farrum	goddesses of water
Fluctus	miscellaneous goddesses
Fossae	goddesses of war
Lineae	goddesses of war
Montes	miscellaneous names
Paterae	famous women
Planitiae	heroines of mythology
Planum	goddesses of prosperity
Regiones	giants and titanides
Rupes	goddesses of the house
Tesserae	goddesses of wealth and luck
Terrae	goddesses of love
Tholi	miscellaneous goddesses
Undae	goddesses of deserts
Valles	valleys longer than 400km: names of Venus in different languages valleys less than 400km: goddesses of rivers

MOON


Craters, Catenae, Dorsa, Rimae	the large craters received names of famous scientifics or artists the small craters, first names and the other reliefs, names coming from names of the nearer craters.
Lacus, Maria, Paludes, Sinus	latin names describing meteorological phenomena or others abstractive concepts
Montes	names of mountain ranges on Earth
Rupes	names relative to the nearer mountains
Valles	names relative to the nearer reliefs.

MARS AND ITS SATELLITES


Large craters	names of scientifics who contributed to the study of Mars or writers who contributed to the knowledge of Mars
Small craters	cities of the world having less than 100 000 inhabitants
Large valleys	name of Mars in different languages
Small valleys	ancient or contemporary names of rivers
Other reliefs	names of the details noted by Schiaparelli or Antoniadi
DEIMOS	writers about the satellites de Mars
PHOBOS	scientifics involved in the discovery, the dynamics and the properties of the satellites of Mars.

SATELLITES OF JUPITER


AMALTHEE	places and people associated to the myth of Amalthea
THEBE	places and people associated to the myth of Thebe
IO	Active eruptive zones Catenae Fluctus Mensae Montes Paterae Plana, Regiones, Tholi	gods and heroes of fire and Sun gods of the Sun names relative to a near structure or to fire, to the Sun, to thunder, to gods and goddesses of volcanoes, to mythical blacksmiths characters relative to the myth of Io or to Dante's underworld places associated to the myth of Io or to Dante's underworld names relative to fire, to the Sun, to thunder, to gods and goddesses of volcanoes, to mythical blacksmiths places associated to the myth of Io or to Dante's underworld
EUROPA	Chaos Craters Flexus Large concentric structures Lenticulae Lineae Maculae Regiones	places associated to celtic myths celtic gods and heroes places associated to the myth of Europa names of celtic circles of stones celtic gods and heroes characters associated to the myths of Europa places associated to the myth of Europa places associated to celtic myths
GANYMEDE	Catenae Craters Faculae Fossae Regiones Sulci	gods and heroes of the peoples of the Fertile Crescent gods and heroes of the peoples of the Fertile Crescent places associated to the egyptian myths gods and heroes of the peoples of the Fertile Crescent astronomers discoverers of the satellites of Jupiter places associated to the ancient myths
CALLISTO	Circular structures Craters Catenae	stay for gods and heroes heroes and heroins of myths of Nordic countries mythological places in the Nordic countries

SATELLITES OF SATURN


JANUS	characters related to the myth of Castor and Pollux
EPIMETHEE	characters related to the myth of Castor and Pollux
MIMAS	chararcters and places of the legend Le Morte Darthur de Malory (translated by Baines)
ENCELADUS	characters and places of the Arabian Nights of Burton
TETHYS	characters and places of the Homer's Odyssey
DIONE	characters and places of Virgil's Aeneid
RHEA	characters and places related to the creation myths
TITAN	former displaced cultures
HYPERION	deities of the Sun and the Moon
JAPET	characters and places related to the Chanson de Roland (translated by Sayers)
PHOEBE	characters associated to Phoebe, Greek islands and archipelagos

SATELLITES OF URANUS


PUCK	spirits of the family of Puck
MIRANDA	characters and places from Shakespeare's plays
ARIEL	spirits of light (individual or families)
UMBRIEL	spirits of shadow (individual)
TITANIA	places and female characters of Shakespeare's works
OBERON	places and tragic heroes of Shakespeare's works
OTHER SATELLITES	heroins in the works of Shakespeare and Pope

SATELLITES OF NEPTUNE


PROTEUS	spirits, gods and goddesses associated with water (excluding roman and greek names)
TRITON	names of aquatic origin, excluding the names of Greek or Roman water spirits from around the world, names fountains, geysers or islands.
NEREIDE	names of the Nereids
OTHER SATELLITES	gods and goddesses associated with the mythology Neptune / Poseidon aquatic mythological beings

PLUTO


Deities of the underworld

ASTEROIDS

ASTEROIDS
IDA	Craters Dorsa Regiones	caves of the world participants to Galileo project discoverer of Ida and places associated to the discoverer
DACTYL	Craters	dactyls of Ida
GASPRA	Craters Regiones	thermal springs discoverer of Gaspra and participants to Galileo project
MATHILDE	Craters	coal fields
EROS	Craters Regiones	legendary and mythological names of erotic nature legendary and mythological names of erotic nature