Two New Crater Names Approved for Earth's Moon

30 October 2008

The names Haworth and Lenard have been approved for the lunar craters located at 86.8S, 4W, and 85.2N, 105W, respectively. For more information, see the list of Moon crater names in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.

Division Named in Saturn's Ring System

26 December 2007

The name Roche Division has been approved for the division between Saturn's A and F rings. See the ring nomenclature page in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature for more information.

Descriptor Term Mare Maria Approved for use on Titan

16 November 2007

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.

Dwarf Planet 136472 2005 FY9 Named Makemake

14 July 2008

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 Moons Named Hydra and Nix

26 June 2006

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.

Martian Patera Sizes Adjusted and New Mons and Tholus Names Introduced

19 September 2007

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… Read More

Name approved for Saturn's satellite S/2007 S 4

23 August 2007

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… Read More

Changes to Venus Nomenclature

9 December 2009

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.

Change to IAU rule

20 March 2006

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.

New Names for Enceladus

13 November 2006

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,… Read More