![[USGS Banner]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130213215535im_/http://astrogeology.usgs.gov/assets/banners/default.jpg)
New Name for a Channel on Titan
Wednesday, February 13, 2013The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name Vid Flumina for a channel on Titan. For more information, see the IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
Martian Crater Named Lucaya
Wednesday, January 30, 2013The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name Lucaya for a crater on Mars. For more information, see the map of MC-21 in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
Names Approved for Nine Craters on Mercury
Wednesday, December 19, 2012Names for Five Colles and One Patera on Titan
Wednesday, December 19, 2012The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved names for five colles on Titan (Arwen Colles, Bilbo Colles, Faramir Colles, Handir Colles, and Nimloth Colles). The feature formerly called Sotra Facula has been changed to Sotra Patera. For more information, see this image of Titan in the IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
New Names for Six Features on Mars
Monday, November 26, 2012The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved names for six features on Mars: Camichel, Dukhan, Kolonga, Liberta, Sibut, and Okavango Valles. For more information, see the IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
Fifteen New Names for Vesta
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved names for eleven craters, two catenae, one dorsum, and one tholus on Vesta (Albana, Domna, Eumachia, Eutropia, Fonteia, Galeria, Mamilia, Myia, Paulina, Pomponia, Torquata, Albalonga Catena, Robigalia Catena, Lavinium Dorsum, and Brumalia Tholus). For more information, see the IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
Eight New Names for Titan Surface Features
Tuesday, November 13, 2012The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved names for seven montes and one fluctus on Titan (Mohini Fluctus, Doom Mons, Erebor Mons, Irensaga Montes, Mindolluin Montes, Misty Montes, Mithrim Montes, and Taniquetil Montes). For more information, see the IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
New Names for Five Paterae and One Cavus on Mars
Monday, October 29, 2012The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved names for five paterae and one cavus on Mars: Eden Patera, Euphrates Patera, Ismenia Patera, Oxus Patera, Oxus Cavus, and Siloe Patera. For more information, see the IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
New Name for a Small Vallis on Mars
Wednesday, September 26, 2012The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name Peace Vallis for a small valley near the Mars Science Laboratory landing site in Gale crater. For more information, see the IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
New Names for Two Features on Mars
Tuesday, September 18, 2012The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved names for two features on Mars: Candor Colles and Ceti Labes. For more information, see the IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
Mercury Crater Named Chesterton
Monday, September 17, 2012The Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name Chesterton for the crater on Mercury located at 88.3N, 134.5W. For details, see the map of Mercury quadrangle H-1 in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
Small Martian Crater Named Yellowknife
Monday, September 10, 2012The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name Yellowknife for the Martian crater located at 4.58S, 137.44E. For more information, see the map of MC-23 in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
Three New Names Approved for Martian Features
Monday, August 27, 2012The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved names for two craters (Cayon and Fancy) and a serpens (Aeolis Serpens) on Mars. For more information, see the maps of MC-15 and MC-23 for Aeolis Serpens and MC-28 for Cayon and Fancy in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
Coordinates of Named Features on Io Updated to Voyager/Galileo SSI
Monday, August 20, 2012
In 2012, the coordinates of the named features in the Io portion of the International Astronomical Union Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature were updated from values from historical sources to values in the Voyager/Galileo SSI control network. The purpose of this work was to facilitate the identification of named features on Io. Dots representing the center coordinates of named features should fall in the centers of the features when displayed on any map product based on the Voyager/Galileo SSI reference frame. The extents and sizes of the named features were also updated; these data are approximate and are intended solely to give the user sufficient information to identify named features and their rough extents.
This new set of coordinates was derived using ArcMap version 10.0 and the 2011 Geologic Map of Io by David Williams et al. Vectors describing feature extents are based on the geologic contacts shown on this map. We are also grateful for help and advice provided by Dr. Rosaly Lopes and Dr. Jani Radebaugh.
The Io portion of the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature web site now defaults to showing feature coordinates in the frame of the Voyager/Galileo SSI control network. The original coordinates (from unknown sources) are still retained in the gazetteer and can be viewed by selecting the desired coordinate set from a dropdown menu on the feature pages. The "Unknown" coordinates are now considered archival and will not be updated with new names or changes to approved names.
Nine New Crater Names Approved on Mercury
Monday, July 30, 2012The Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved nine new names for craters on Mercury: Egonu, Gaudí, Kandinsky, Petronius, Prokofiev, Tolkien, Tryggvadóttir, Qiu Ying, and Yoshikawa. For details, see the list of Mercury feature names and the map of Mercury quadrangle H-1 in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
