Astronomy / Space Luna (the moon) Sol (the sun)

[coolguy42079]

I took one semester of astronomy. My professor said the moon, our moon, was named Luna. The sun, our sun, is named Sol. These of course are the Latin names. In common English we call them the moon and the sun. Not many people know about Luna, or Sol. I always thought it was funny cause Luna is a girls name. Like in Harry Potter "Luna Lovegood", yet we have a man in the moon.

 

[Tomtom]

Well, your professor is a little bit wrong

Yes, Luna is the Latin name for the moon, but its official name, as approved by the IAU is, wait for it... the Moon. With a capital 'M'. The name 'Luna' is commonly used in fiction, but that's just poetic licence. Anyway, why use the Latin? The Greek name, Selene, is quite nice too.

It's the same story with the sun. 'Sol' is used a lot in fiction, but the IAU approved name is, you guessed it, the Sun. With a capital 'S'.

Incidentally, 'The Milky Way' is also not the official name of the galaxy in which we live. Wanna take a guess? Yup, it's simply called the Galaxy. With a capital 'G'.

Not that it matters. If you say 'Sol' or 'Luna' or 'Milky Way' or even 'Terra' people know what you're talking about and there's nothing wrong with using a little poetic licence here and there! And who knows? By the year 3301 those sci-fi names may have been officially accepted (more likely if we've colonised other star systems by then).

 

[coolguy42079]

Luna is Latin for The Moon, Earths only natural satellite.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna

Sol is Roman, for Helios, or the Sun. First used in 1450. This site says the Sun is nameless. Yet the first name it had was Sol is the sign used in math for The Sun
http://earthsky.org/space/what-is-the-suns-name

The Milky Way was named due to the way the night looks like someone just spilled milk across the sky. Creating a milky way within the darkness. This band of light is actually the Galaxy we live in.