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| aa -- |
A basaltic lava with a rough, jagged surface. |
| achondrite -- |
A stony meteorite, coarsely crystallized, with sizablefragments 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 anobject 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 (Romanname, 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 hisshoulders. 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 atoutcrops. |
| breccia -- |
Coarse-grained rock composed of angular fragments of pre-existingrock. |
| caldera -- |
A large volcanic depression at the summit of a volcano, caused bycollapse or explosion. |
| Callisto -- |
In Greek mythology, a nymph, follower of Artemis. Zeus wanted towoo 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 "thewhite" 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 andbeastliness: 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 mouthor 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. |