I know that many science fiction shows may call them Luna and Sol but these are not official names like moons of other planets and suns in other solar systems.
2007-01-01 06:18:32 · 16 answers · asked by Barkley Hound 7 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Human beings first observed them at a time when there was only one of each. It is not necessary to give something a specific name if there is only one of it. It's like giving our universe a name, such as Inflatia. There is only one of it. There is no need for such a name.
Now we know there are other suns (Rigel, Alpha Centauri A) and other moons (Ganymede, Titan). So now our Sun and Moon need names. Sol and Luna have been used, but these are the Spanish for sun and moon, so would sound generic in that language. About the best that can be done is to capitalize Sun and Moon to mean the specific ones we have been familiar with, and to avoid calling stars suns and satellites of planets moons.
2007-01-01 06:27:34 · answer #1 · answered by alnitaka 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The 'Sun' and the 'Moon' are the official name for all general scientific purposes.
The problem is, when teaching astronomy to kids, it is not practical to use the terms like 'satellite' or 'planetary star system' to explain the existence of satellites around other planets and the existence of other planetary systems altogether. So we simplify by using the word 'moon' to explain satellites and 'other suns having other planets' or 'other solar systems' for planetary systems other than the solar system.
This may give an impression that the Sun and Moon are general nouns and not proper nouns! This is not the case though. Our Sun is the actual 'Sun' and our Moon is the actual 'Moon'.
2007-01-01 07:32:18 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They do have names. Their name are the Sun and the Moon. I have seen them refered to as Sol and Luna in some science books and websites.
2007-01-01 07:14:34 · answer #3 · answered by bldudas 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You're right, they have no official 'name'.
Called Luna by the Romans, Selene and Artemis by the Greeks, and many other names in other mythologies. We just call it the Moon.
Our sun doesn’t have a generally accepted and unique proper name. You sometimes hear the name “Sol” in association with the sun – that’s the Roman equivalent of the Greek sun god Helios. But it’s not an official name for the sun. So the sun doesn’t have its own name. But it does have a symbol that’s exclusively its own. The sun’s symbol is a circle with a dot in the center – used in mathematical formulas.
2007-01-01 06:22:14 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
The Sun and The Moon work just fine because they are singularities.
If Earth had more than one moon, like some other planets, they would have different names.
2007-01-01 07:57:53 · answer #5 · answered by The answer guy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Full Moon Names Month English Names Native American Names Other Names Used Hindu Names
January Old Moon Wolf Moon Moon After Yule, Ice Moon Paush Purnima
February Wolf Moon Snow Moon Hunger Moon, Storm Moon Magh Purnima
March Lenten Moon Worm Moon Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sugar Moon, Sap Moon, Chaste Moon Holi
April Egg Moon Pink Moon Sprouting Grass Moon, Fish Moon, Seed Moon, Waking Moon Hanuman Jayanti
May Milk Moon Flower Moon Corn Planting Moon, Corn Moon, Hare's Moon Buddha Purnima
June Flower Moon Strawberry Moon Rose Moon, Hot Moon, Planting Moon Wat Purnima
July Hay Moon Buck Moon Thunder Moon, Mead Moon Guru Purnima
August Grain Moon Sturgeon Moon Red Moon, Green Corn Moon, Lightning Moon, Dog Moon Narali Purnima, Raksha bandhan
September Fruit Moon Harvest Moon Corn Moon, Barley Moon Bhadrapad Pornima
October Harvest Moon Hunter's Moon Travel Moon, Dying Grass Moon, Blood Moon Kojagiri or Sharad Pornima
November Hunter's Moon Beaver Moon Frost Moon, Snow Moon Kartik Pornima
December Oak Moon Cold Moon Frost Moon, Long Night's Moon, Moon Before Yule Margashirsha Pornima
These are the traditional English names for each month's Full Moon and the names given by Native Americans in the northern and eastern United States. [3]
Why didn't Johann Bayer give a name to the Sun like 'Alpha-Prime'?
Why should he?
The Sun is not part of a fixed constellation. It is also well known by its traditional name, so why would you want to rename it? Bayer provided alternate names for the bright stars based on a unified system, rather than the collection of ancient, multi-cultural names that some stars had acquired. Tanks to this system of naming stars, and other catalog systems that followed, astronomers can speak meaningfully about stars across national boundaries and language groups. However, if you are writing poetry or in a style other than science fiction, it is always a good idea to use the common names for stars within the language you are using!
2007-01-01 06:45:36 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Their names are Mr.Sun and Mrs. Moon.
It happens that in Spanish their names are Señor Sol and Señora Luna.
2007-01-01 07:47:58 · answer #7 · answered by PragmaticAlien 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are called Sun and Moon, not Star and Orbiting sat elite.
Sheesh
2007-01-01 06:25:29 · answer #8 · answered by bunny 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
They do have names. We call them SUN and MOON
2007-01-01 06:25:36 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
They do.
They are 'the Sun' and 'the Moon'.
If you were talking about some other star or moon you'd have to mention its name unless it was obvious in context.
2007-01-01 06:25:54 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋