Heiny.Henr@Parc-Maxc.ARPA@sri-unix.UUCP (08/26/83)
From: Chris Heiny <Heiny.Henr@Parc-Maxc.ARPA> Generic terms should be used whenever they will not cause confusion, even though the excruciatingly literal translation or exact definition does not fit. Thus we should refer to what is called geometry on Earth as geometry when we are on the Moon, Venus or Tau Ceti V, rather than calling it selenometry, cytherometry or taucetipentometry. If we discover some situation on Tau Ceti V that distinguishes geometry there from geometry on Earth (perhaps triangles on TC V have 42 sides), then we would be justified in calling it taucetipentometry. As to peri-whatever or apo-whatever: bizarre roots (like '-cythereion') should only be used if it is not understood by most of the audience just what it is that you are orbiting, and only if the root is going to be understood by the audience. Maximum and minimum distance points are features of all orbits, and the existence of them is not dependent on the body orbited. I prefer -gee for planet/asteroid/etc type bodies and -helion for stars and suns. Thus, if it is known that the mission to Tau Ceti V is currently in orbit around Tau Ceti V, then one would say 'perigee' and 'apogee'. If it is not immediately obvious, then you should say 'perigee/apogee of its orbit about Tau Ceti V', or in some other way make it clear that it is orbiting TC V. Terms like apotaucetifive or peritaucetifive should be avoided. Chris
KFL@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU ("Keith F. Lynch") (02/05/86)
From: Robert Elton Maas <REM@imsss>
It was suggested today that seven of the Uranian moons discovered this
month by Voyager 2 be named after the astronauts & technicians &
passenger who died on the shuttle this week. ...
Since we haven't staked claim on these moons, what right have we to
name them after citizens of our nation?
Traditionally, the discoverer has the right to name his discovery.
Look at the names of the features on the back side of Earth's moon.
All the other moons have been named after greek mythological beings
affiliated in myth with the parent body.
This is true for Jupiter and Saturn. The five previously known
moons of Uranus (Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon) are
named for characters in Shakespeare.
Do we want to start naming moons after real humans of the nation that
discovered them?
Why not? We are running out of mythological names. Most of them
(including the whole Hindu pantheon) have been used up on asteroids.
Some asteroids now have such pseudo-mythological names as
Rockefelleria (for Nelson Rockefeller) and Geographica (for the
National Geographic Society).
Another possibility is for the government to auction the right of
naming each moon, and each mountain and each crater on each moon, to
the highest bidder.
Why not name three more after Grissom/Chaffe/White ...
Good idea.
... or after Russian cosmonauts who have died?
Let them discover their own moons.
Wouldn't it be sort of a slap in somebody's face to name the seven who
died in the worst attempted-human-space-travel accident to date after
moons that were discovered by the most successful
unmanned-space-discovery mission to date, at a time when the contrast
between these two missions is used by some people to argue that manned
exploration should be totally stopped and everything should be done by
robotics?
No.
Was the Arpanet site OBERON named after the moon, or after the
Shakespeare character?
...KeithKFL@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU ("Keith F. Lynch") (02/06/86)
From: mcgeer%ji@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Rick McGeer)
By longstanding tradition, dating back to Galileo, the discoverer of
celestial bodies has the right to name them.
Actually, Galilieo's names for the moons of Jupiter (the only things
I can think of that he named) were NOT accepted. He named them after
the Medici's, a ruling family in Italy at the time.
Similarly, Herschell's name for Uranas was not accepted - he wanted
to name it for George the Third.
...Keithmcgeer%ji@UCBVAX.BERKELEY.EDU (Rick McGeer) (02/06/86)
I think his group name for the moons weren't accepted ("the Ludovician
stars") weren't accepted; but if I'm not mistaken (I could well be) the
individual names are his.
-- Rick.