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From: mike@bambi.UUCP (Michael Caplinger)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: Uranus and naming moons
Message-ID: <271@bambi.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Feb-86 14:25:46 EST
Article-I.D.: bambi.271
Posted: Wed Feb  5 14:25:46 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Feb-86 20:24:21 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Bell Communications Research Inc., Morristown, NJ
Lines: 25

Sorry, but astronomical bodies like moons are never named after people.
Even asteroids christened for individuals use a variant of the person's
name that looks like a first name, or has been "Latinized" or "classisized"
in some way.

The current scheme for naming the moons of Uranus names them after
spirits in plays or poems (sort of, Miranda is something of an
exception).  Titania and Oberon are from Shakespeare's MIDSUMMER
NIGHT'S DREAM, Ariel and Miranda are from THE TEMPEST, and Umbriel is
from Pope's THE RAPE OF THE LOCK (which also had an Ariel in it, don't
know which one was intended).  There are quite a few candidates left
from this set.

Besides, names have to be approved by an international body (the IAU).  The
discovering country can't just pick them.  (Ironically, the discoverer
of Uranus, John Herschel, wanted to name it after the king of England at the
time.  The name he proposed meant "George's Star" in Latin, I believe.)

However, naming craters according to some scheme on a particular moon is just
fine.  Maybe a moon should be reserved for astronauts and cosmonauts killed
on missions.

	Mike Caplinger
	mike@bellcore.arpa
	ihnp4!bambi!mike