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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 very close to spherical due to its slow rotation. [34]
Planetary nomenclature, like terrestrial nomenclature, is a system of uniquely identifying features on the surface of a planet or natural satellite so that the features can be easily located, described, and discussed. [1]
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.
Older catalogues either assigned an arbitrary number to each object, or used a simple systematic naming scheme based on the constellation the star lies in, like the older Ptolemy's Almagest in Greek from 150 and Al-Sufi's Book of Fixed Stars in Arabic from 964. The variety of sky catalogues now in use means that most bright stars currently have ...
Maria, seas, are large expanses of dark materials thought to be liquid hydrocarbons; they are named for sea creatures from myth and literature. Virgae, streaks or stripes of colour, are named for rain gods and goddesses. [2] [3] Punga Mare: son of the sea god Tangaroa; the father of sharks and lizards. [21]
The origins of the planetary symbols can be found in the attributes given to classical deities. The Roman planisphere of Bianchini (2nd century, currently in the Louvre, inv. Ma 540) [2] shows the seven planets represented by portraits of the seven corresponding gods, each a bust with a halo and an iconic object or dress, as follows: Mercury has a caduceus and a winged cap; Venus has a ...
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"
Venus also had a distinctive, local form as Venus Pescatrice ("Venus the Fisher-woman") a goddess of the sea, and trade. For Sulla's claims of Venus' favour, see Venus Felix above). [ 41 ] [ 42 ] Pompeii's Temple of Venus was built sometime in the 1st century BC, before Sulla's colonisation. [ 43 ]