aa -- A basaltic lava with a rough, jagged
surface.
achondrite -- A stony meteorite, coarsely
crystallized, with
sizable fragments of various minerals visible to the naked eye.
Adams -- John Couch Adams (1819-1892) English
astronomer.
One of the discoverers of the planet Neptune.
Akna -- In Native American traditions from Mexico
and from the
Arctic, "Moon" (Wife of the Sun) and "The Mother" (Goddess of Childbirth),
respectively.
albedo -- The ratio of the amount of solar
radiation reflected
from an object to the total amount incident upon it.
Alcott -- Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)
American author.
altimetry -- The measurement of elevation or
altitude.
anorthosite -- A type of igneous rock
composed almost
entirely of feldspar, a group of minerals that make up about 60% of the Earth's
crust.
antipodal point -- The opposite point
with respect to any
given point.
Aphrodite -- One of the twelve Greek
Olympian gods.
Goddess of Love (Roman name, Venus), daughter of Zeus and Dione .
Apollo -- In Greek mythology, one of the
twelve Olympian
gods. God of prophecy, healing, archery, music, youth, plastic arts, science
and
philosophy.
arachnoid -- Spider or cobweblike feature on
the surface of
Venus, typically having a diameter of about 100-km and a central volcanic
structure
surrounded by a complex network of lineaments.
arcuate -- Curved or bent.
Ariel -- In Alexander Pope's poem "The Rape of
the Lock", a
spirit of the air, chief of the sylphs.
asteroid -- One of many small rocky bodies
orbiting the Sun; a
concentration of these bodies makes up the Asteroid Belt between Mars and
Jupiter.
Atla -- In Norse mythology, a giantess, mother of
Heimdall.
Atlas -- In Greek mythology, brother of
Prometheus and
grandfather of Hermes (Mercury). Condemned to stand forever supporting the
heavens on
his shoulders. The Atlantic Ocean is named for him.
Ba'het -- In Egyptian mythology, goddess of
wealth and
abundance.
Balch -- Emily Balch (1867-1961) American
economist, Nobel
Laureate.
Barton -- Clara Barton (1821-1912) Founder of
American Red
Cross.
basalt -- Fine-grained igneous rock (rich in
mafic minerals) that
has erupted onto the surface.
basin -- A depressed area with no surface
outlet.
bedrock -- Continuous solid rock that
underlies regolith and is
exposed at outcrops.
breccia -- Coarse-grained rock composed of
angular fragments
of pre-existing rock.
caldera -- A large volcanic depression at the
summit of a
volcano, caused by collapse or explosion.
Callisto -- In Greek mythology, a nymph,
follower of Artemis.
Zeus wanted to woo her, and so disguised himself as Artemis and seduced her. To
hide her
from his jealous wife Hera, Zeus changed Callisto into a bear.
Candor -- Candor Chasma - from the Latin
candor, meaning
"blaze" or "the white" from its appearance.
Carson -- Rachel Carson (1907-1964) American
biologist and
author.
Cassini -- Gian Domenico Cassini (1625-1712)
Astronomer
born in Italy, later a naturalized French citizen. Discovered four of Saturn's
satellites,
observed a dark division in Saturn's ring (the Cassini Division).
Centaur -- In Greek mythology, a being with
the head, arms,
and torso of a man, and the body and legs of a horse. The personification of
wisdom and
beastliness: the two natures of humankind.
Cerberus -- In Greek mythology, the
three-headed dog that
guards the entrance to the underworld.
Charon -- In Greek mythology, ferryman of the
River Styx,
who carried the dead to the underworld. Each dead person was buried with a
coin in his
mouth or on his eyelids to pay for the crossing.
chasma -- A large canyon.
chondrite -- A stony meteorite, composed of
finely
crystallized material.
coma -- A roughly spherical region of diffuse gas
which
surrounds the nucleus of a comet. Together, the coma and the nucleus form the
comet's
head.
comet -- A small celestial body composed at
least partially of
ices. Comets either orbit the Sun or pass through the Solar System on
hyperbolic orbital
paths .
Cordelia -- In William Shakespeare's King
Lear, the youngest
daughter of the king.
corona -- A circular to elongate feature which
is surrounded by
multiple concentric ridges. Coronae are thought to be formed by hot
spots.
crater -- An approximately circular depression,
sometimes
surrounded by a raised rim. Craters are typically formed by explosion during
meteorite
impact.
crust -- The outermost layer of the
lithosphere.
cuspate -- Shaped like a cusp; a sharp
projection of
material.
Dactyl -- In Greek mythology, a legendary being
that lived on
Mount Ida.
Danu -- The greatest of the goddesses of ancient
Ireland.
Deimos -- In Greek mythology, a son of Ares
(Mars) who,
with brother Phobos, was a constant companion to his father.
Derceto -- Philistine fertility
goddess.
Dione -- In Greek mythology, the mother of
Aphrodite, and
daughter of Zeus.
drift -- A general term for all rock debris
transported from one
place and deposited in another, and distinguished from solid
bedrock.
Eistla -- In Norse mythology, a
giantess.
ejecta -- Material thrown out of a volcano or
impact crater.
Enceladus -- In Greek and Roman mythology, a
giant, son
of Titan and Gaea. Buried by an angry Zeus under Mount Etna. When the giant
hisses and
thrusts out his fiery tongue, Mount Etna erupts.
Encke -- Johann Franz Encke (1791-1865) German
astronomer
at the Seeberg Observatory, Switzerland. Determined period of the comet
discovered by
Pons and showed it to be identical with comets of other years.
escarpment -- A long, more or less
continuous cliff or
relatively steep slope facing in one general direction, produced by erosion or
faulting.
Europa -- In Greek mythology, a mistress of
Zeus to whom he
appeared as a gentle white heifer. Zeus persuaded her to take a ride on his
back, and then
he carried her away across the sea.
fault -- A fracture or zone of fractures in a
planet's crust,
accompanied by displacement of the opposing sides.
feldspar -- A group of rock-forming minerals
that make up
about 60% of the Earth's crust.
Fortuna -- In Roman mythology, goddess of
fortune, chance
and luck.
Galileo -- Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
Italian mathematician,
astronomer, and physicist. First to use a telescope to observe the
skies.
Galle -- Johann Gottfried Galle (1812-1910)
German astronomer
who discovered the crepe ring of Saturn (1838) and was a co-discoverer of
Neptune
(1846).
Ganymede -- In Greek mythology, a beautiful
Trojan boy,
son of Tros and Calirrhoe. Befriended by Zeus and made cupbearer to the
Olympian
gods.
Gaspra -- Russian resort and spa near Yalta,
Crimea, where
Leo Tolstoy was treated.
geomorphology -- The study of the
external structure,
form, and arrangement of rocks in relation to the development of
landforms.
geyser -- A type of hot spring that
intermittently erupts jets of
material.
Giotto -- Giotto di Bondone (1267?-1337)
Italian medieval
painter, architect, and sculptor.
graben -- A long, relatively depressed crustal
unit or block that
is bounded by faults along its sides; a trough.
Gula -- One of the primary goddesses of the
Akkadian and
Babylonian peoples. The mother-goddess and great physician, she had the power
to inflict
as well as cure disease.
Hadley -- John Hadley (1682-1744) English
mathematician
and inventor. Built first serviceable reflecting telescope and invented an
improved quadrant
known as Hadley's quadrant.
Halley -- Edmond Halley (1656-1742) English
astronomer. In
1758, predicted accurately the return of a comet previously observed in 1531,
1607, 1682.
The body was subsequently named Halley's Comet.
Hellas -- The Greek name for Greece.
Herschel -- Sir William Herschel (1738-1822).
British
astronomer. Built reflecting telescope of superior quality and with it
discovered planet
Uranus . Discovered satellites of Uranus and of Saturn.
Hestia -- In Greek mythology, one of the twelve
Olympian
gods. Sister of Zeus and goddess of the hearth and home (Roman name,
Vesta).
Hubble -- Edwin Powell Hubble (1889-1953)
American
astronomer known for seminal work in modern cosmology.
hummocky -- Uneven; describing a terrain
abounding in
irregular knolls, mounds, or other small elevations.
Humorum -- Mare Humorum - Latin for "Sea of
Humors"
or "Sea of Moisture".
Hyperion -- In Greek mythology, a Titan, son of Uranus and Gaea. Husband of Theia and father of Eos (the Dawn). A handsome wanderer, his name is said to signify height or superiority.
Iapetus -- In Greek mythology, a son of Uranus
and Gaea.
Father of Atlas, Epimetheus, Menoetius, and Prometheus.
Ida -- In Greek mythology, the mountain on Crete
where Zeus
spent his childhood.
igneous rock -- Rock solidified from a
molten state.
Imbrium -- Mare Imbrium - Latin for "Sea of
Rains".
Inverness -- In William Shakespeare's
Macbeth, the location
in Scotland of Macbeth's castle.
Io -- In Greek mythology, a young woman seduced by
Zeus, who
then transformed her into a heifer to protect her from his jealous
wife.
Ishtar -- In Babylonian mythology, goddess of
love and war.
Ruler of the Moon, as well as the morning and evening stars (alternate names
for the planet
Venus).
Ithaca -- A Greek island, home of
Odysseus.
Jovian -- Of or relating to the planet
Jupiter.
Jupiter -- Planet fifth in order from the sun.
In Roman
mythology, ruler of the gods. (Greek name, Zeus).
Kennedy -- John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) 35th
president of
the United States. Called on NASA to put an astronaut on the moon within the
decade of
the 1960's, a feat that was achieved. Died by assassination in November,
1963.
Kuiper -- Gerard Peter Kuiper (1905-1973)
American
astronomer born in The Netherlands. Studied the origin of the solar system,
and planetary
atmospheres.
Lada -- A word meaning both "woman" and "goddess"
in the area
of Lycia in Asia Minor.
Lakshmi -- In Indian mythology, the goddess of
all forms of
wealth. The reverence for cows in Hindu India is based on worship of this
goddess, as in
that tradition cows are a representation of wealth.
Lavinia -- In Virgil's Aeneid, a beautiful
woman who became
the wife of Aeneus. Personification of earth's fertility.
Lee -- Robert E. Lee (1807-1870) American
Soldier. General in
chief of all Confederate armies during the Civil War. Surrendered to Federal
forces in
April, 1865.
Leverrier -- Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier
(1811-1877)
French astronomer who performed the calculations that predicted the existence
of the planet
Neptune.
limb -- The outer edge of a lunar or planetary
disk.
Lincoln -- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Sixteenth president
of the United States. Commander in Chief of Federal forces during the Civil
War. Five
days after the war's end Lincoln was shot. He died the following
day.
lineament -- A linear topographic feature,
such as a fault line,
aligned volcanoes, or straight stream course.
Loki -- In Scandinavian mythology, a mischievous
trickster, thief
and slanderer.
Magellan -- Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521)
Portuguese
navigator whose ship completed the first circumnavigation of the
Earth.
magma -- Molten rock material (liquids and
gases).
magnetosphere -- a region of a planet's
atmosphere that
is dominated by the planet's magnetic field so that charged particles are
trapped in it.
mantle -- The main bulk of a planet between the
crust and the
core; on Earth, the mantle ranges from about 40 to 2,900 kilometers (25 to 1800
miles)
below the surface.
mare -- A dark, low-lying lunar plain, filled to
some depth with
volcanic rocks.
Mars -- Planet fourth in order from the sun. In
Roman
mythology, god of war and discord (Greek name, Ares).
massif -- A massive topographical feature,
commonly formed of
rocks more rigid than those of its surroundings.
Mead -- Margaret Mead (1901-1978) American
anthropologist,
author and lecturer on contemporary social issues.
Mercury -- The planet closest to the sun. In
Roman
mythology, the fleet-footed messenger god and escort of dead souls to the
underworld
(Greek name, Hermes).
meteorite -- A stony or metallic object from
interplanetary
space that impacts a planetary surface.
Mimas -- In Greek mythology, a giant.
Miranda -- In William Shakespeare's The
Tempest, the second
daughter of Prospero the magician.
morphology -- The study of structure or
form.
Mylitta -- In ancient Phoenicia, a moon
goddess who presided
over fertility and childbirth.
Navka -- Arab mother-goddess.
Neptune -- Planet eighth in order from the
sun. In Roman
mythology, god of the sea (Greek name, Poseidon).
nucleus -- The frozen core of a comet which
contains almost
the entire cometary mass and is located in the comet's head.
Oberon -- In William Shakespeare's A Midsummer
Night's
Dream, the king of the fairies.
Olympus -- In Greek mythology, the mountain
that is home to
the gods.
Onatah -- In the mythology of the Native
American Seneca and
Iroquois people, a corn or wheat goddess; the daughter of Nokomis.
Ophelia -- In William Shakespeare's Hamlet,
the daughter of
Polonius and deserted lover of Hamlet.
Ophir -- In the Bible, a land to which King
Solomon sent a naval
expedition. Considered to be the eastern extremity of the know world. Thought
to be
modern Ethiopia, or possibly India.
Orientale -- Latin for "Eastern".
Ovda -- In Finnish mythology, a wild, ill-humored
spirit who
wanders through the forests looking for trespassers to tickle to
death.
Oxia -- Oxia Palus - from the Latin, an oasis on
the Oxus Canal,
which flowed into the Oxianus Lacus (the modern-day Sea of Aral).
pahoehoe -- A basaltic lava with a smooth,
undulating
surface.
perihelion -- The point in the path of a
planet, asteroid,
comet, or other body that is closest to the sun.
Proteus -- In Greek mythology, the son of
Poseidon.
Personification of the shifting winds and moods of the sea.
Phobos -- In Greek mythology, a son of Ares
(Mars) who,
with brother Deimos, was a constant companion to his father.
plateau -- Any comparatively flat area of
great extent or
elevation.
plume -- A buoyant mass of hot, partially molten
mantle material
that rises to the base of the lithosphere.
Pluto -- Planet ninth in order, and farthest,
from the sun. In
Greek mythology, god of the dead and the underworld.
Procellarum -- Oceanus Procellarum - from
the Latin
"Ocean of Storms".
Prometheus -- A Greek mythological hero who
gave
humankind fire.
regolith -- Any solid material lying on top
of bedrock,
including soil and rock fragments.
relief -- The maximum regional difference in
elevation.
Rhea -- In Greek mythology, mother of Zeus and
wife of Cronos
the Titan .
rift -- A valley formed at a divergence zone or
other area of
extension.
rille -- One of several trenchlike, or cracklike
valleys up to several
hundred km long and 1-2 km wide commonly occurring on the Moon's
surface.
Sacajawea -- Sacajawea (Bird Woman)
(1786?-1812)
Native American who accompanied and guided the Lewis and Clark expedition from
the
Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean and back.
Sapas -- In Phoenician mythology, goddess of
commerce and
travel, and messenger of the gods.
Saturn -- Planet sixth in order from the sun.
In Roman
mythology, god of agriculture, and father of Jupiter (Greek name,
Cronos).
scarp -- A cliff or steep slope of some extent
that may form a
marked topographic boundary.
Schiaparelli -- Giovanni Virginio
Schiaparelli (1835-1910).
Italian astronomer at the Milan Observatory who reported markings on Mars which
he
called "canali".
Selu -- Cherokee corn goddess.
shearing -- The motion resulting from
stresses that cause or
tend to cause contiguous parts of a body to slide relatively to each
other.
shield volcano -- A broad volcanic cone
with gentle
slopes constructed of successive nonviscous, mostly basaltic, lava
flows.
Sif -- In Scandinavian mythology, the grain
goddess renowned for
her long golden hair. Mate of the thunder god Thor.
SIR-C/X-SAR -- Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C
and X-
Band Synthetic Aperture Radar. An instrument that performs detailed
observations of
Earth at any time, regardless of weather or sunlight conditions.
slumping -- A landslide that results from the
downward
sliding of rock debris as a single mass, usually with a backward rotation
relative to the
slope along which the movement takes place.
Stickney -- Angeline Stickney (1830-1892) The
wife of Asaph
Hall, known for her persistent encouragement of her husband as he strove to and
eventually succeeded in the discovery of the satellites of Mars.
stratosphere -- An upper portion of a
planetary
atmosphere, above the troposphere and below the ionosphere, characterized by
relatively
uniform temperature and horizontal winds.
tectonic -- Relating to the deformation of
the crust of a moon or
planet, the forces involved in or producing such deformation, and the resulting
forms.
tectonics -- Structural deformation,
especially folding and
faulting.
terminator -- The line separating the
illuminated and
unilluminated parts of a celestial body; the dividing line between day and
night as observed
from a distance.
terrestrial -- Belonging to the class of planets that are similar to the Earth in density and composition (i.e. Mercury, Venus, and Mars).
Tethys -- In Greek mythology, a sea
goddess.
Tharsis -- In the Bible, a land at the western
extremity of the
known world. Thought to be a region in modern-day Spain.
Theia -- Pre-Hellenic goddess of light, mother
of the dawn. In
Greek mythology, mother of Helios (the Sun) and Eos (the Dawn).
Titan -- In Greek mythology, Titans were the
firstborn children of
Uranus (the sky) and Gaea (the Earth). The ruler of the Titans was Cronos,
whose Roman
name is Saturn.
Titania -- In William Shakespeare's A
Midsummer Night's
Dream, the queen of the fairies.
topography -- The shape and form of the
surface of a
planet.
Triton -- In Greek mythology, merman, half-man,
half-fish.
Son of Poseidon and Amphitrite.
trough -- A long linear depression.
Umbriel -- In Alexander Pope's poem "The Rape
of the
Lock", a "dusky, melancholy sprite".
Uranus -- Planet seventh in order from the sun.
In Greek
mythology, god of the sky, mate of the goddess of the Earth, and father of the
Titans.
Ursula -- In William Shakespeare's Much Ado
About Nothing,
the attendant to Hero.
Valhalla -- In Norse mythology, Odin's hall,
where he
received the souls of slain warriors.
Venus -- Planet second in order from the sun.
In Roman
mythology, goddess of love (Greek name, Aphrodite).
vent -- An opening or fissure in a planet's
surface through which
volcanic material erupts.
Vires-akka -- In Northern European / Arctic
mythology, a
forest goddess.
viscosity -- A measure of resistance to
flow.
volcanic rock -- Rock formed by eruption
onto a planet's
surface.
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