Official websites use .gov
A
.gov website belongs to an official government
organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A
lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to
the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official,
secure websites.
The descriptor term mare/maria has been approved for use on Titan for large expanses of dark materials thought to be liquid hydrocarbons. The theme for maria on Titan is "Sea creatures from myth and literature." Please see the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature for more information.
The name Makemake has been approved for the transneptunian dwarf planet (136472) 2005 FY9. Makemake is a creator god of Rapa Nui (Easter Island). For more information, see the page "Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers" in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, and the IAU press release.
Pluto's two newest satellites have been named Hydra and Nix by the International Astronomical Union. For more information, refer to the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, particularly the page that describes planet and satellite names and their discoverers.
The descriptor term 'patera' is defined in the gazetteer as "an irregular crater, or a complex one with scalloped edges" (see Descriptor Terms). The sizes of seven Martian features (Alba, Apollinaris, Biblis, Hadriaca, Tyrrhena, Ulysses, and Uranius Paterae) have increased over time from the sizes of the central depressions to the sizes of the entire edifices. In order to correct this inconsistency in the database, the sizes of these paterae have been adjusted to correspond only to the central depressions.
New names for the mons/tholus features have been introduced. The new names are: Alba Mons, Apollinaris Mons, Biblis Tholus, Hadriacus Mons, Tyrrhenus Mons, Ulysses Tholus, and Uranius Mons.
The name Anthe has been approved for Saturn XLIX. Anthe is one of the Alkyonides, the seven beautiful daughters of the Giant Alkyoneos. Anthe orbits in the region between Methone and Pallene, named for two other Alkyonides. Please visit the Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers page�in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature for more information.
The name Mnemosyne Regio has been dropped, and the name Metis Regio has been changed to Metis Mons. For more information, see the Venus section of the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
Rule number 3 on page http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/rules.html has been amended to better describe the circumstances under which planetary features are named.
The following names have been approved for use on Enceladus: Al-Bakbuk, Al-Fakik, Al-Haddar, Al-Kuz, Al-Mustazi, Ayyub, Aziz, Behram, Fitnah, Ghanim, Hassan, Jansha, Khusrau, Marjanah, Omar, Otbah, Rayya, Shakashik, Sharrkan, Shirin, Zumurrud, Cufa Dorsa, Ebony Dorsum, Anbar Fossae, Khorasan Fossa, Alexandria Sulcus, Baghdad Sulcus, Cairo Sulcus, Camphor Sulcus, Cashmere Sulci, Damascus Sulcus, Hamah Sulci, Labtayt Sulci, Láhej Sulci, and Mosul Sulci.
For more information, see the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
Detailed geologic mapping has revealed that Furachoga Corona on Venus is a deformation belt rather than a corona. This name, which was approved in 1997, has been dropped and is no longer in use.
There has been an important change in the approval process for planetary feature names; the designation of "provisional nomenclature" is no longer used. As soon as the IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN) has successfully reviewed a name, it is considered approved and can be used in publications. Immediately after WGPSN approval, names are entered into the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Any objections to these names based on significant, substantive problems must be forwarded in writing or email to the IAU Division III president within three months of the names being published in the gazetteer.
This new policy will allow for much more efficient use of planetary feature names for the scientific community, and it will streamline and simplify the use of planetary feature names in the publication process.
