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The adjectival forms of the names of astronomical bodies are not always easily predictable. Attested adjectival forms of the larger bodies are listed below, along with the two small Martian moons; in some cases they are accompanied by their demonymic equivalents, which denote hypothetical inhabitants of these bodies.
Venus is one of the four terrestrial planets in the Solar System, meaning that it is a rocky body like Earth. It is similar to Earth in size and mass and is often described as Earth's "sister" or "twin". [33] Venus is close to spherical due to its slow rotation. [34]
Exceptions to this rule are valleys and craters on Mars and Venus; naming conventions for these features differ according to size. One feature classification, regio, was originally used on early maps of the Moon and Mercury (drawn from telescopic observations) to describe vague albedo features. It is now used to delineate a broad geographic region.
A primary star, which is brighter and typically bigger than its companion stars, is designated by a capitalized A. Its companions are labelled B, C, and so on. For example, Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, is actually a double star, consisting of the naked-eye visible Sirius A and its dim white-dwarf companion Sirius B.
The Roman numbering scheme of Uranus' moons was in a state of flux for a considerable time. Sir William Herschel thought he had discovered up to six moons and maybe even a ring. For nearly fifty years, Herschel's instrument was the only one the moons had been seen with. [17]
Features on the planet Venus are named for women and goddesses. Colles are small hills or knobs, named after sea goddesses. Coronae are oval features of uncertain origin, named for fertility and earth goddesses. Planitiae, low plains, are mythological heroines. Tholi, small dome-like hills, are named for (miscellaneous) goddesses.
The names of the five planets, one star and one moon [planetary satellite] are: [34] Tzedeq צדק, Jupiter Meaning: "righteousness", as Jupiter is the embodiment of divine influx. Shabtai שבתאי, Saturn Meaning: "of Shabbat" [35] Ma'adim מאדים, Mars Meaning: "the red one" Ḥammah חמה, the Sun Meaning: "the hot one"
According to the IAU's explicit count, there are eight planets in the Solar System; four terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) and four giant planets, which can be divided further into two gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn) and two ice giants (Uranus and Neptune). When excluding the Sun, the four giant planets account for more than ...