RJ

(astronomy) Jovian radius: a unit of measurement, equal to the radius of Jupiter.


ML

(astronomy) Lunar mass: a unit of measurement, equal to the mass of the Moon.


z

Pronunciation of IPA [zɑː, ɑzzɑː] with the sound [z]


(astronomy, rare) The symbol for the constellation Aries.


A stylized representation of a scorpion with a stinging tail.

(astronomy, rare) The symbol for the constellation Scorpius.


A (copper/bronze) handmirror, symbol of the Greek goddess Aphrodite (and her Roman equivalent Venus). The cross was added in the 16th century to Christianize the symbol of a pagan god.


The circle and arrow represent the shield and spear, respectively, of the Ancient Greek god of war Ares (and his Ancient Roman equivalent Mars). In the Medieval era the spear had crossed in front of the shield, and the ancient form lacked the shield altogether.


The lunar crescent is an ancient symbol for the moon.
Its orientation varies between increscent and decrescent.

rarely 🌙. In the medieval Marcianus graecus 299 manuscript

(astronomy, astrology, rare) The last quarter of the Moon.


(Christianity, astronomy): A globus cruciger (the globe surmounted by a Christian cross), representing Christ's or the Church's rule over the redeemed world. Alchemical extension to newly-discovered antimony, motivated by an attempt to retain an association between the basic metals and the known planets. Astronomical use is reinforced by the graphic similarity to the symbol ⟨♀⟩ for Venus, which is the planet that is most similar to Earth.


A simple caduceus (☤) of the Greek god Hermes (and his Roman equivalent Mercury), as seen with a much longer staff in stylized representations of that god e.g. on pottery. The cross was added in the 16th century to Christianize the symbol of a pagan god.


α

alpha

for names of this symbol in other language

(astronomy) Used to identify some bright star, usually the brightest star, of a constellation, for instance α-Centauri.


α

Coordinate term: δ


Oceanus

(planetology) A large mare region on the Moon.


Chaos

From Latin chaos (“chaos”), from Ancient Greek χάος (kháos).

(astronomy) A planetoid and cubewano orbiting in the Kuiper belt.


L

From the Etruscan letter 𐌋 (l, “el”), from the Ancient Greek letter Λ (L, “lambda”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤋 (l, “lamed”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓌅.

(astronomy, physics, measurement, cgs) lambert


M

(astronomy) Abbreviation of Messier, used in Messier numbers.

M_☉ — solar mass; M_🜨 — terrestrial mass; M_J or M_♃ — jovian mass; M_L or M_☾ — lunar mass

(astronomy) mass of a reference body as a unit of measure


Peg

(astronomy) Abbreviation of Pegasus or its genitive form Pegasi.


NWA

(planetology, geology) Abbreviation of northwest Africa.


AT

astronomical transient
astronomical transient#Translingual

(astronomy) Abbreviation of astronomical transient.; prefix for astronomical transients in official IAU astronomical event and object notation. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the official international arbiter of naming of astronomical objects and events in the field of astronomy.


EET

Elephant Moraine
Elephant Moraine#Translingual

(planetology, geology) Abbreviation of Elephant Moraine.


δ

Coordinate term: α


Λ

cosmological constant
cosmological constant


Angelina

(astronomy) An asteroid in Asteroid Belt, Solar System; a main belt asteroid.


NEA

(planetology, geology) Abbreviation of northeast Africa.


planum

(astronomy, planetology, planetography, astrogeography, astrogeology) an elevated plain or plateau on a moon or planet


Andromeda Galaxy
Andromeda Galaxy#English

(astronomy) Abbreviation of Messier 31, the Messier number designation of the Andromeda Galaxy.


Triangulum Galaxy
Triangulum Galaxy#English

(astronomy) Abbreviation of Messier 33, the Messier number designation of the Triangulum Galaxy.


(astronomy) Abbreviation of Messier 13, the Messier number designation of the Great Globular Cluster of a few hundred thousand stars in the constellation of Hercules.


NGC

New General Catalogue
New General Catalogue#English

(astronomy) Initialism of New General Catalogue (a catalogue of deep-sky objects), used as a prefix for entries in this catalogue.


(astronomy) Abbreviation of Messier 42, the Messier number designation of the Orion Nebula.


The horns may curve up and then out again

forming a half circle like a digit 8 with the top removed

(astronomy, rare) The symbol for the constellation Taurus.


(astronomy, rare) The symbol for the constellation Gemini.


(astronomy, rare) The symbol for the constellation Cancer.


A stylized representation of a lion's head and tail.

(astronomy, rare) The symbol for the constellation Leo.


Unknown, but it has been suggested that the symbol derives from a letter M for (the Virgin) Mary in the Middle Ages, though the sign had earlier been identified with the goddess Ceres/Demeter. It has also been suggested to be a ligature of Greek παρ (par), for Ancient Greek παρθένος (parthénos, “maiden”).

der

with the loop crossing the second downward stroke

or have three downward strokes but with the third ending in a tail

(astronomy, rare) The symbol for the constellation Virgo.


The curve in the top stroke may vary from a capital Ω-shape to a small bump

The bottom horizontal line is sometimes omitted

making it identical to some forms of ⟨🝇⟩. The lines may

may not end in serifs. Cursive form ⟨🝠⟩.

(astronomy, rare) The symbol for the constellation Libra


(astronomy, rare) The symbol for the constellation Sagittarius.


A stylized representation of the chimeric capricorn (head and forelegs of a goat, curling tail of a fish).

(astronomy, rare) The symbol for the constellation Capricornus.


A stylized representation of (ripples of) water.

(astronomy, rare) The symbol for the constellation Aquarius.


A pair of fish; the stroke joining them is relatively recent.

(astronomy, rare) The symbol for the constellation Pisces.


The Greek letter Zeta with an abbreviation stroke, for Ζεύς (Zeús), the Greek equivalent to the Roman god Jupiter. The form changed from Classical and early Medieval ⟨Ƶ⟩ to one with a more salient cross, ⟨♃⟩, in the 15th–16th century, at about the time that Christian crosses were added to ⟨☿⟩, ⟨♀⟩ and ⟨♄⟩, and so may have had a similar motivation.


The Greek letters kappa-rho with an abbreviation stroke at bottom, for Κρόνος (Krónos), the Greek equivalent to the Roman god Saturn. The cross at top was added later, to Christianize the symbol of a pagan god.


A globe surmounted by the letter H, the initial of Herschel, the discoverer of Uranus ('planet Herschel').

A multiple star, the beautiful trapezium in the “Fish’s mouth” of the vast nebula in the middle of Orion’s sword-scabbard. A 6, pale white; B 7, faint lilac; C 7½, garnet; D 8, reddish; and E 15, blue. This was entered 1 ♅. iii., in November, 1776, and had the honour of being the object to which the grand forty-foot reflector was first directed, in February, 1787, under the designation of “quadruple.” As a trapezium it was gazed at, measured, and delineated, for upwards of fifty years, when Σ. announced it “quintuplex,” by the addition of the little star E. Now when we consider the eye of ♅., the measures of S., and the rigorous examination of H., this little companion must be looked upon as variable; […]

1844, William Henry Smyth, “θ¹ Orionis”, in Cycle of Celestial Objects, for the Use of Naval, Military, and Private Astronomers, volume the second (The Bedford Catalogue) (in English), London: John W[illiam] Parker, […], page 130:


The trident of Neptune, the Ancient Roman god of the sea.

– the symbol commonly has barbs on the tines

– orbed variant common in German-language sources alongside ⟨♁⟩ for the Earth and ⟨⛢⟩ for Uranus

so that most of the planetary symbols contain an orb

sometimes with horizontal barbs on the outer tines so that those look like an inverted omega

this form of Neptune's trident was used by Newton as a symbol for bismuth

before the planet Neptune had been discovered. Typefaces that use this form may harmonize it with Jupiter so that it looks like ⟨⟩ reflected on itself.

Ψ

Greek capital letter psi is sometimes used as a typographic substitute.


A monogram of the capital letters P and L, the first two letters of "Pluto" as well as the initials of Percival Lowell.

(astronomy, astrology) Pluto (as one of the nine planets).


RL

(astronomy) Lunar radius: a unit of measurement, equal to the radius of the Moon.


The shield of the sun god Apollo, with a boss in the center. Medieval replacement of ⟨🜚⟩, the sun with a single ray, which in ancient times had replaced a sun orb surrounded by multiple rays.
Compare the Egyptian hieroglyph ⟨⟩ and the Chinese character ⟨⟩, both of which mean 'sun' and 'day'.

A subscript to variables in mathematical equations, such as π_☉ (solar parallax).

Suppose the apparent angular distance of the sun & moon's nearest limbs [...] to be 110°.2′.30″ the app. alt of ☉'s lower limb measuring 20°.40′ and that of ☽'s lower limb 35°.24′

1803, Robert Patterson, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, volume 40 (in English), Princeton University Press, published 2013, page 71:

For masses under #92;textstyle#92;frac#123;1#125;#123;3#125;☉ only one equilibrium solution exists

1939, Oppenheimer & Volkoff, “On Massive Neutron Cores”, in Physical Review, volume 55:


PEC

Pecora Escarpment
Pecora Escarpment#Translingual

(planetology, geology) Alternative form of PCA; Abbreviation of Pecora Escarpment.


planitia

(astronomy, planetology, planetography, astrogeography, astrogeology) A low plain. Used capitalised in names of geological features on other planets


Olympus Mons

From Latin Olympus + mons, from Ancient Greek Ὄλυμπος (Ólumpos). Named in 1973 after the albedo feature Nix Olympica (“Snows of Olympus”).

(planetology) An extinct volcano and prominent feature on the planet Mars, notable as the highest mountain in the solar system (elevation: 27 kilometers).


MJ

(astronomy) Jovian mass: a unit of measurement, equal to the mass of Jupiter.


Cydonia

From Latin Cydonia, a partial calque from Ancient Greek μηλοκυδώνιον (mēlokudṓnion, “quince”, literally “Cydonian apple”).

μηλοκυδώνιον

(planetology) An albedo feature on Mars, famous for the “Face on Mars” formation.


Arsia Mons

Named in 1973 after the albedo feature Arsia Silva.

(planetology) An extinct volcano on the planet Mars.


Pavonis Mons

Named in 1973 after a classical albedo feature.


Ascraeus Mons

Named in 1973 after the albedo feature Ascraeus Lacus.

HiPOD XII Iunii MMXIX: Fractura in campis inter meridiem et solis ortum spectantibus ex Ascraeus Mons et septentrionalis spectantibus ex Noctis Fossae

2019 June 12, @HiRISELatin, twitter (in Latin):


Oceanus Procellarum

Borrowed from Latin Oceanus Procellarum (literally “Ocean of Storms”). Coined by Italian Jesuit astronomer Giovanni Battista Riccioli, by labelling a map created by Italian Jesuit optician Francesco Maria Grimaldi, and then published in 1651 in the Almagestum novum.

coinage

(planetology) The Ocean of Storms: A basin in Nearside, Moon, Earth, Solar System; The largest mare region on the Moon.

en:Almagestum novum
en:Francesco Maria Grimaldi


(astronomy, before 16th century) The Classical and Medieval form of ⟨♀⟩, the symbol of the planet Venus.


A scythe, representing the Roman harvest goddess Ceres. Invented soon after discovery in the early 19th century. The cross at bottom recalls ⟨☿⟩ and ⟨♀⟩. The symbol was once sometimes reversed to incorporate the letter 'C' as the initial for 'Ceres'.

(astronomy, astrology) The dwarf planet and asteroid 1 Ceres.


A spear, representing the goddess Pallas Athena. Invented soon after discovery in the early 19th century. The head of the spear took on various shapes, depending on typographic convenience, including a triangle △ and a spade ♤ or inverted heart ♡, but is now usually a diamond ◇ or lozenge ◊. The cross at bottom recalls ⟨☿⟩, ⟨♀⟩, ⟨⚳⟩.

(astronomy, astrology) The asteroid 2 Pallas.

alchemical symbol for sulfur, a variant form of Athena's spear that was sometimes easier to typeset


The scepter of the Roman queen of the gods, Juno, surmounted by a star. The scepter took various forms in the 19th century, some rather elaborate, but soon the original printer's hack of an asterisk ⟨*⟩ over an inverted dagger ⟨⸸⟩ was settled on for typographic convenience.

(astronomy, astrology) The asteroid 3 Juno.


The eternal fire in the Roman temple to the goddess Vesta. The current form, which incorporates the letter 'V', is an astrological simplification, from the 1970s, of the 1852 form below.

(astronomy, astrology) The asteroid 4 Vesta.


Note: there is no dedicated Unicode character for the astronomical symbol for a star. Publishers make different choices.

The notation M_∗ indicates the mass of a particular star; it is not a unit of measurement.


(astronomy, obsolete, rare) asteroid (20) Massalia

(astronomy, text variant only, obsolete) a variant of the symbol for asteroid (5) Astraea


Venus in opposition to Jupiter


☉ or ✶'s app[arent] alt[itude]

1803, Robert Patterson, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, volume 40 (in English), Princeton University Press, published 2013, page 72:

The notation M_✶ indicates the mass of a particular star; it is not a unit of measurement.


Alpha Canis Majoris

Ancient Greek α (a, “alpha”) + Canis Majoris. From Latin canis (“dog”)+maior (“big”).

compound

Ancient Greek <i class="Polyt mention" lang="grc">α</i> (a, “alpha”)

(astronomy) Bayer designation of the star Sirius, as the brightest star of the constellation Canis Major; now recognized as a binary star system.


Beta Canis Majoris

(astronomy) The Bayer designation of the fourth-brightest star in the constellation Canis Major.


Canis Majoris

From Latin Canis Majoris, the genitive case of Canis Major (“the Greater Dog”).

(astronomy) Used in the Bayer designations of the stars of the constellation Canis Major.


Herculis

(astronomy) variant of Hercules used when naming stars, such as α Herculis.


A serpent twined around a staff. Perhaps representing a guinea worm being wound out of a patient on a stick. Possibly related to the biblical account of the nehushtan.

(astronomy, dated) An old symbol for asteroid 10 Hygiea; originally rendered with a star at the top: (🝹)


Gliese

German Gliese. Named for German astronomer Wilhelm Gliese

(astronomy) An asteroid in Asteroid Belt, Solar System

(astronomy) The Gliese Catalogue of Nearby Stars


PCA

(planetology, geology) Abbreviation of Pecora Escarpment.


The lunar crescent is an ancient symbol for the moon.
Its orientation varies between increscent and decrescent.

a subscript to variables in mathematical equations, such as π_☽ (lunar parallax)

(astronomy, rare) a natural satellite (see image at right).

(astronomy, astrology, rare) the first quarter of the Moon.


ϖ

ϖ


And

(astronomy) Abbreviation of Andromeda or its genitive form Andromedae.


(astronomy) A classification of stars, spectral type G, subtype 2.


Mpc/h

(astronomy) An indeterminate unit of distance between 4/3 Mpc and 2 Mpc. The h is a parameter in the closed interval [0.5, 0.75] and reflects an uncertainty in the Hubble constant. For example, in a universe where the Hubble constant is 70,(km)/(sMpc), h is 0.7. Similarly, a Hubble constant of 50,(km)/(sMpc) would lead to a value for h of 0.5.


Gpc/h

(astronomy) An indeterminate unit of distance between 4/3 Gpc and 2 Gpc. The h is a parameter in the closed interval [0.5, 0.75] and reflects an uncertainty in the Hubble constant.


Rhadamanthus

New Latin, from Ancient Greek Ῥαδάμανθυς (Rhadámanthus, “a son of Zeus and Europa, one of the three judges of the dead”) The name is pre-Greek, of unknown meaning, possibly of Phoenician origin.

der

(astronomy) A planetoid and cubewano orbiting in the Kuiper belt.


Actaea

The nereid Actaea, Ἁκταία, from Ancient Greek ἁκτή (haktḗ, “coast, shore”) + -a

(astronomy) The moon of the possible dwarf planet Salacia.


Aeolis Mons

Aeolis + Mons.
Named in May 2012 by the International Astronomical Union as a major mountain in the Aeolis quadrangle on the planet Mars Aeolis (“Aeolis quadrangle”).

(planetology) The central mountain peak within Gale Crater on the planet Mars.

en:Aeolis quadrangle
en:Curiosity (rover)
en:International Astronomical Union
en:Mars (planet)


Aeolis Palus

Aeolis + palus.
Named in May 2012 by the International Astronomical Union as a major plain in the Aeolis quadrangle on the planet Mars Aeolis (“Aeolis quadrangle”).

(planetology) The central plain within Gale Crater on the planet Mars.

en:Aeolis quadrangle
en:International Astronomical Union


(astronomy, obsolete) 19th-century typographic variant of ⟨⚴⟩, the symbol for asteroid (2) Pallas


A solar disk with a single ray; simplified from a disk with a halo of rays

(astronomy, astrology, archaic) Classical and Byzantine Era symbol for the Sun


nomen conservandum

head

nomen conservandum (plural nomina conservanda)

From Latin nomen conservandum, literally "name to be conserved".

(taxonomy, astronomy, geology) A scientific name that has specific nomenclatural protection.


(astronomy) The symbol for the constellation Ophiuchus.


Fe/H

Represents the ratio of iron to hydrogen


Cas

(astronomy) Abbreviation of Cassiopeia or its genitive form Cassiopeiae.


α CMa

Alpha Canis Majoris
Alpha Canis Majoris#Translingual

(astronomy) Abbreviation of Alpha Canis Majoris.


CMa

Canis Majoris
Canis Majoris#Translingual

(astronomy) Abbreviation of Canis Majoris, used in the names of the stars of the constellation Canis Major.


β CMa

Beta Canis Majoris
Beta Canis Majoris#Translingual

(astronomy) Abbreviation of Beta Canis Majoris.


Sanner

* (asteroid): From English Sanner. Named after American astronomy author Glen Sanner

named-after

(astronomy) An asteroid in Main Belt, Solar System


⑨

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 9 Metis.


Sgr

(astronomy) Sagittarius, the modern IAU constellation


Sgr

(astronomy) Sagittarii, the genitive form of the IAU constellation Sagittarius


Lal.

(astronomy) Abbreviation of Lalande. Abbreviated prefix for stars under Lalande designations


(astronomy, astrology) ascending node, north node


(astronomy, astrology) descending node, south node


CTA

(astronomy) Initialism of Caltech Survey of Radio Sources, Part "A".


Laniakea

From English Laniakea, from Hawaiian lani+ākea.

(astronomy) Laniakea: A galaxy supercluster in local Universe; The supercluster containing the Earth.


Clarke Montes

Clarke Montes. Named in honour of scientist and author Sir Arthur C. Clarke.

(astronomy, geology, Charon) A mountain on Charon, the moon or binary companion of the dwarf planet Pluto.


Butler Mons

Butler Mons. Named in honour of science fiction author Octavia E. Butler.


Kubrick Mons

Kubrick Mons. Named in honour of film director Stanley Kubrick, who directed the iconic epic 2001: A Space Odyssey.

2001: A Space Odyssey
en:Stanley Kubrick


Argo Chasma

Argo Chasma. Named after the mythological Greek ship Argo, from the tale of Jason and the Argonauts.

(astronomy, geology, Charon) A canyon on Charon, the moon or binary companion of the dwarf planet Pluto.


Caleuche Chasma

Caleuche Chasma. Named after the legendary ghost ship Caleuche of Chiloé Island.


Mandjet Chasma

Mandjet + chasma, from Egyptian mꜥnḏt (“the boat of the Sun that carries the Sun God, Ra (Re), across the sky each day”).


Yamor Mons

Yamor + mons. Named in after Yamor, the Ecuadorian maize festival.

(geology, planetology) A mountain on Ceres, a dwarf planet found in the Main Asteroid Belt.


Ysolo Mons

Ysolo + mons. Erroneously named after an internet hoax (a fake Albanian eggplant festival) which fooled the astronomers looking for names of festivals, following the naming directive to name features on Ceres after world festivals.

(geology, astronomy, obsolete) Former name of Yamor Mons. (2015-2017), a mountain on Ceres, a dwarf planet found in the Main Asteroid Belt.


Liberalia Mons

Liberalia + mons. Named in after Liberalia, the Ancient Roman festival honouring the vine deities Liber and Libera.

(geology, astronomy) A mountain on Ceres, a dwarf planet found in the Main Asteroid Belt.

en:Liber
en:Libera (mythology)
en:Liberalia


Ahuna Mons

Ahuna + mons. Named in after Ahuna, the harvest festival of the Sumi tribe from northeast India.

(geology, astronomy) A mountain on Ceres, a dwarf planet found in the Main Asteroid Belt. It is the tallest mountain on Ceres.


Ysolo

(geography, geology, astronomy, obsolete) Ellipsis of Ysolo Mons. Former name of Yamor Mons.


Nix Olympica

Coined by Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli in 1879, who first observed the surface feature, from Latin nix (“snow”) and olympicus (“Olympic”), meaning “Olympic Snow, Snow of Olympus”, from the feature appearing whitish against the generally reddish planet.

coin

Der größte Krater war der Nix Olympica: viermal so hoch wie der Kilimandscharo, hatte er einen Durchmesser von achthundert Kilometern.

1978, “Erbe des Tba”, in Perry Rhodan, number 881 (quotation in German; overall work in German):

Der Riesenvulkan Nix Olympica auf Mars wurde erst von Mariner 9 als solcher erkannt. […] Das auf dem Ausschnitt gekennzeichnete Telebild zeigt einen Teil des sehr rauhen Abhangs von Nix Olympica, hier ist ein Gebiet von 43 × 55 km erfaßt.

1984, Wolfgang Engelhardt, Planeten Monde Ringsysteme: Kamerasonden erforschen unser Sonnensystem (quotation in German; overall work in German), page 129:

[…] Nix Olympica had been known to Earth-bound astronomers since Schiaparelli in 1879. […] The improved coverage of Nix Olympica by Mariner 7 showed a concentric ring-like surface structure. By the time Mariner 9 approached Mars, Nix Olympica had already been reinterpreted as a gigantic impact crater […]

2004, Jeffrey S. Kargel, Mars - A Warmer, Wetter Planet (quotation in English; overall work in English), page 48:

(planetology, astronomy, historical) Former name of Olympus Mons. (19th c. — 20th c.) (an albedo feature on the planet Mars, now known to be the tallest mountain, but without a snowcap)


☉ or ⚹'s app[arent] alt[itude]


Pōwehi

From Hawaiian Pōwehi, from pōwehi, the generative darkness of creation, from the Hawaiian creation chant Kumulipo. From pō (“unfathomable ceaseless powerful creation”) + wehi (“honorific for crowned nobles”). The Hawaiian name was chosen by Jessica Dempsey (James Clerk Maxwell Telescope observatory deputy director), Hawaiian language linguist Larry Kimura, and Geoffrey C. Bower (chief scientist of Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics division of Hawai’i).

“UH Hilo professor names black hole capturing world's attention”, in University of Hawaiʻi News, 2019 April 10, retrieved 2020-03-19: “In April 2017, a groundbreaking observational campaign brought together eight telescopes at six locations around the globe to capture an image of Pōwehi, a supermassive black hole at the center of the Messier 87 galaxy.”

“Maunakea telescopes win the 'Oscars of Science' for Pōwehi”, in University of Hawaiʻi News, 2019 September 6, retrieved 2020-03-19: “Working together as one ʻohana was critical to our success in capturing the image of Pōwehi.”

2020, Jessica T. Dempsey, "The Event Horizon Telescope: the impact of an image and finding Pōwehi", in Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes VIII

The most important thing that we have learned is that the shadow of Pōwehi is always there. That means it is real and is caused by the light bending from the black hole. […] The wobble tells us about how gas is flowing around the black hole, varying like clouds in the sky or waves on the ocean. What's next is to use our improved array and make images over years to come and learn from those changes to answer questions like, 'How does Pōwehi feed itself?'

“Pōwehi: New research captures a decade of movement”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, 2020 September 23, retrieved 2020-03-19

(astronomy) M87* (“Messier 87*”), the central supermassive blackhole of the galaxy Messier 87.


A proposed alchemical symbol for platinum, derived from the symbols for the planetary metals gold ⟨☉⟩ and iron ⟨♂⟩, as platinum (previously known as 'white gold') was often found mixed with iron. This symbol for the newly discovered metal platinum was created in order to have a symbol to apply to the newly discovered planet Uranus.


Mare Tranquillitatis

Mare + Latin tranquillitātis. From Latin Mare Tranquilitātis (spelled with one "L"). From Latin mare+tranquillitās (literally “Sea of Tranquility”). Coined by Italian Jesuit astronomer Giovanni Battista Riccioli, by labelling a map created by Italian Jesuit optician Francesco Maria Grimaldi, and then published in 1651 in the Almagestum Novum.

der

(planetology) The Sea of Tranquility: a basin in Nearside, Moon, Earth, Solar System; a lunar mare region.

en:Almagestum Novum
en:Francesco Maria Grimaldi
en:Giovanni Battista Riccioli


Mare Procellarum

Blend of Mare + Oceanus Procellarum. Variation of Oceanus Procellarum; replacement of the rare "Oceanus" with the common "Mare", where many features on the Moon are called the 'mare' (the maria), and only this one feature is called 'oceanus'.

Oceanus Procellarum
Oceanus Procellarum#Translingual

(planetology) The Sea of Storms: Synonym of Oceanus Procellarum (“Ocean of Storms”); a basin in Nearside, Moon, Earth, Solar System


ALH

(planetology, geology) Abbreviation of Allan Hills.


LEW

(planetology, geology) Abbreviation of Lewis Cliff.


LAP

LaPaz Icefield
LaPaz Icefield#Translingual

(planetology, geology) Abbreviation of LaPaz Icefield.


Facula

(planetology) An albedo surface feature, lighter than the surroundings.


(astronomy, alchemy): The four quarters of the world, divided by the four rivers out of Eden and surrounded by the Ocean Sea. Later interpreted as a globe with equator and line meridian.
(meteorology): A sun cross

units of measurement: M_🜨 Earth mass; R_🜨 Earth radius


Pluto's bident, stylized like Neptune's trident and surmounted by a globe or cap. Popularized by Paul Clancy, founder in 1933 of American Astrology magazine.

(astronomy, rare) Pluto as a dwarf planet.


Created by Denis Moskowitz from the Canadian syllabics letters ⟨ᓴ⟩ sa and ⟨ᓐ⟩ n, from the modern Inuktitut form of Sedna, ᓴᓐᓇ Sanna. Intended to visually suggest a seal leaping from the water.

(astronomy, astrology) The dwarf planet Sedna.


Created by Denis Moskowitz from the "five-fingered hand" symbol ⟨⟩ of the goddess Eris, a symbol found in modern Discordianism. Moskowitz rotated the hand symbol upright like the related Discordian POEE symbol ⟨⟩, and added a cross-bar, ⟨[Alt: Э]⟩, so that it would resemble a double lunate letter epsilon, the initial letter of 'Eris'. However, the Discordian community objected that this produced a "seven-fingered hand," and in response he removed the cross-bar.

(astronomy, astrology) The dwarf planet Eris.


Dziewanna

(astronomy) A planetoid orbiting in the scattered disc.


Lempo

From Finnish Lempo (the pagan god of love equated with the Christian devil).

(astronomy) A binary planetoid and a plutino orbiting in the Kuiper belt. Its binary components, Lempo and Hiisi, are orbited by the moon Paha.


Varda

Queen of the Valar, who kindled the first stars in J. R. R. Tolkien's Elvish legendarium.

trans-Neptunian object
trans-Neptunian object

(astronomy) A distant trans-Neptunian object and planetoid, once thought to be a possible dwarf planet. Its moon is Ilmarë.


Ilmarë

Chief of the Maiar in J. R. R. Tolkien's Elvish legendarium, and handmaiden to Varda.

(astronomy) The moon of the distant planetoid Varda.


(astronomy): A lunar crescent and the globe of Pluto's symbol ⟨⯓⟩, visually suggesting Pluto and its moon, and iconically suggesting Charon's boat and the coin needed for passage

(astronomy, rare) Pluto's moon Charon, a dwarf planet in some classifications.


A globe surmounted by the letters LV, the initials of Le Verrier, the discoverer of Neptune – analogous to ⟨♅⟩ for Uranus ('planet Herschel')


Created by Denis Moskowitz from stylized Hawaiian petroglyphs for women and childbirth, representing the Hawaiian fertility and creation goddess Haumea. It faintly recalls the initial letter 'H'.

(astronomy, astrology) The dwarf planet Haumea.


Created by Denis Moskowitz from the large-eyed and phallic-nosed petroglyphs of the Rapa Nui creation god Makemake that are found scattered on Easter Island. It faintly recalls the initial letter 'M'.

(astronomy, astrology) The dwarf planet Makemake.


Created by Denis Moskowitz as an OR monogram, stylized to resemble the gape of Orcus's skull or of an orca (a homophonic connection to Orcas Island, which influenced the choice of the name of the dwarf planet).

(astronomy, astrology) The dwarf planet Orcus.


Created by Denis Moskowitz as the initial letter Q of the Tongva creator god 'Quaoar', with the tail stylized to resemble a canoe and with the bowl later made angular to resemble Tongva rock art.

(astronomy, astrology) The dwarf planet Quaoar.


Created by Denis Moskowitz from the initial character ⟨共⟩ of the Chinese name 共工 (Gònggōng), with the bottom strokes replaced by the serpentine body of the Chinese demon/deity Gonggong.

(astronomy, astrology) The dwarf planet Gonggong.


(astronomy, geography, rare) the symbol ⟨🜨⟩ (Earth), rotated to represent the four continents of the 16th century (Europe to the north, Asia to the east, Africa to the south, and America to the west). Cf. T-and-O map ⟨🜗⟩ for the original three continents.


'moon in conjunction with Jupiter'

'moon occults Jupiter'

'Moon occults Sun' (i.e. solar eclipse, commonly abbreviated )

(astronomy, astrology) symbol for occultation, most commonly a solar eclipse.


'moon in opposition to the Sun' (full moon)

'moon shadowed from the Sun' (i.e. lunar eclipse, commonly abbreviated )

Ⅰ 'Io in Jupiter's shadow'

(astronomy, astrology) symbol for a lunar eclipse, or, more generally (but rarely), for any celestial body found in the shadow of another, such as the timing of Io entering Jupiter's shadow, used by Rømer to calculate the speed of light.


H₀

허블 상 수라고 부르는 이 기울기 H₀는 허블을 기념하기 위한 것이고 아래 첨자 0은 오늘날의 값을 의미합니다.

2019 July 17, Eunil Won (원은일), 우주 탄생의 비밀을 찾아서 [In search of the secret of the birth of the universe] (in Korean), 세창출판사, →ISBN, pages 35–36:

This slope H'''₀ is called the Hubble constant in honor of Hubble, and the subscript 0 stands for the present value.

Heobeul sang surago bureuneun i giulgi H₀neun heobeureul ginyeomhagi wihan geosigo arae cheomja 0eun oneullarui gapseul uimihamnida.

Leider lieferten bislang verschiedene Messmethoden für H'''₀ voneinander abweichende Ergebnisse, was ein großes Rätsel der modernen Kosmologie ist.

2021 July 21, Gravitationswellen: Start in eine neue Astronomie (Spektrum Kompakt) (in German), Spektrum der Wissenschaft, →ISBN, page 27:

Unfortunately, different measurement methods for H'''₀ have so far given divergent results, which is a great mystery of modern cosmology.


Piccard Mons

Named after Swiss scientist Auguste Piccard.

(planetology) A possible extinct cryovolcano on the planet Pluto.


Wright Mons

Named after American aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright.

(planetology) A possible extinct volcano on the planet Pluto.

Orville Wright
Wilbur Wright
Wright Mons


For Astraea, this is an inverted anchor, 🝸, presumably a typographic substitute for the mythologically associated set of scales, and dates to 1849.
It's not known if the Pluto symbol is related. It has been in use since at least 1950 without an orb and 1969 with an orb.

the orb may be as large as those of the other planetary symbols ⟨link=☿⟩

⟨link=♂⟩ and German-style ⟨link=♆⟩. There may be no globe at all in German sources that use a globeless ⟨link=♆⟩ for Neptune.

(astronomy, obsolete) asteroid (5) Astraea.


(alchemy): a fusion of ⟨♁⟩ antimony and ⟨🜹⟩ or ⟨⚹⟩ sal-ammoniac
:(astronomy): combination of a star and an orb. May be a six-point star.

(rare, astronomy) generic symbol for asteroid (cf. ⟨🜢⟩ planetoid)


③

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 3 Juno.


②

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 2 Pallas.


①

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 1 Ceres.


④

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 4 Vesta.


⑩

(astrology):

(astronomy, dated): ,

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 10 Hygiea.


⑤

(astrology, rare):

(astronomy, dated):

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 5 Astraea.


⑥

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 6 Hebe.


⑦

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 7 Iris.


⑧

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 8 Flora.


⑪

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 11 Parthenope.


⑫

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 12 Victoria.


⑬

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 13 Egeria.


⑭

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 14 Irene.


⑮

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 15 Eunomia.


⑯

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 16 Psyche.


⑰

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 17 Thetis.


⑱

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 18 Melpomene.


⑲

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 19 Fortuna.


⑳

(astronomy, no fill) The asteroid 20 Massalia.


Kappa Velorum

Ancient Greek κάππα (káppa) + Velorum, as per binomial nomenclature

com

Ancient Greek <i class="Polyt mention" lang="grc">κάππα</i> (káppa)

(astronomy) Markab, a certain binary star.


M🜨

M⊕

a common typographic substitution, as mathematical ⟨⊕⟩ was supported by Unicode a decade before astronomical ⟨🜨⟩

For Saturn, […] the total mass of heavy elements is between 13 and 28 M'''_🜨.

Jupiter formation required a core mass of ∼ 21 M_🜨.

(astronomy) Earth mass: a unit of measurement, equal to the mass of planet Earth, which is 6×10²⁴ kg or 3×10⁻⁶ M_☉.


M♁

*M (mass) and subindex ♁ (Earth). The use of ⟨M_♁⟩ rather than ⟨M_🜨⟩ seems particularly common in German-language texts.

The dynamically cold planetesimal disk was 35 M_♁, with an inner edge at 15.5 AU and an outer edge at 34 AU.


From English Strottner-Drechsler-Sainty Object 1, from Strottner+Drechsler+Sainty+object+1. From French Strottner+Sainty and German Drechsler; French and German astrophotographers Marcel Drechsler, Yann Sainty, Xavier Strottner; the names of the discoverers of the celestial object.

der

(astronomy, initialism) A nebula in Andromeda constellation A gas cloud composed of seemingly just oxygen, shining in O_(III) emission radiation, located next to the Andromeda Galaxy on the dome of the sky. The first such extrasolar oxygen cloud discovered.


M☉

(sum of parts) the maximum mass each pulsar can have is only 0.08 M'''_☉.

(astronomy) Solar mass: a unit of measurement, equal to the mass of the Sun, which is 2×10³⁰ kg or 333,000 M_🜨.


L☉

A typical large galaxy at z < 0.1 has a luminosity of about 10¹⁰ L_☉.

(astronomy) solar luminosity: a unit of measurement, equal to the luminosity of the Sun.


R☉

The inner edge of the [circumbinary] disc is at 317 R_☉, well outside the inner binary orbit.

(astronomy) solar radius: a unit of distance, equal to the radius of the Sun: 7×10⁸ m or 110 R_🜨.


S☉

(astronomy) solar constant: a unit of measurement, equal to the amount of solar radiation per unit area at Earth


R🜨

*R (radius) and subindex 🜨 (planet Earth).

R⊕ [a common typographic substitution, as mathematical ⟨⊕⟩ was supported by Unicode a decade before astronomical ⟨🜨⟩]

the transition radius of 2.6 R'''_🜨 between water worlds and planets with gaseous envelopes

(astronomy) Earth radius: a unit of distance, equal to the radius of the Earth, or 6370 km.


ALMANACK FOR NOVEMBER, 1887. 1 T[uesday] 🌞 rises 6.55 a.m.

1887 November, The Leisure Hour (in English), London: Religious Tract Society, title page:


ʻOumuamua

(astronomy) 1I/2017 U1, the first discovered interstellar asteroid to transit the Solar System


Ho'oleilana

(astronomy, cosmology) Ho'oleilana: A structure in local Universe


(astronomy, obsolete) The asteroid 8 Flora.


(astronomy, stellar classification) A spectral class of stars comprising bluish-white giant stars with very strong hydrogen Balmer absorption lines (Morgan–Keenan spectral standard: Thuban).


(astronomy, text style, rare) planetary rings.


R♃

(astronomy) Jovian radius: a unit of measurement, equal to the radius of Jupiter.


M♃

(astronomy) Jovian mass: a unit of measurement, equal to the mass of Jupiter.


R☾

(astronomy) Lunar radius: a unit of measurement, equal to the radius of the Moon.


M☾

(astronomy) Lunar mass: a unit of measurement, equal to the mass of the Moon.


Leleākūhonua

Coined from Hawaiian lele (“fly”) + ā (“until”) + kū (“stand, appear”) + honua (“earth, land”), comparing its orbit to the migration of seabirds and evoke a yearning to return to land / Earth.

(astronomy) (541132) Leleākūhonua, a distant sednoid in the outer reaches of the Solar System


Pōniuāʻena

Coined from Hawaiian pōniu (“spin, whirl”) + ā (“until”) + ʻena (“red-hot, glowing”), evoking the unseen spinning source of creation, surrounded by brilliance.

(astronomy) J1007+2115, a quasar, the most distant known when discovered, with a redshift 7.515 and a central black hole of 1.5 billion solar masses.


Kamoʻoalewa

Coined from Hawaiian ka (“the”) + moʻo (“fragment”) + a (“of”) + lewa (“to jump, to oscillate”), referring to a fragmentary object that oscillates in the sky from the perspective of Earth.

(astronomy) 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, a small Apollo asteroid and quasi-satellite of Earth. It may be an impact fragment from the Moon.


Kaʻepaokaʻāwela

[kəˌʔɛ.pə.oˌkɐ.ʔaːˈʋɛ.lə]

Coined from Hawaiian ka (“the”) + ʻepa (“tricky, mischievous”) + o (“of”) + Kaʻāwela (“Jupiter”), referring to its contrary orbit with Jupiter.

(astronomy) 514107 Kaʻepaokaʻawela, a retrograde Trojan asteroid of Jupiter, the first such known.