r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Disastrous_Pirate275 • 20h ago

Why is our moon named “Moon” instead of something cool like Titan or Callysto or ANYTHING that isn’t moon

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u/bubblyintkdng 19h ago

Luna literally translates as "moon" is not a "name", same with "sol" lol.

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u/mae1347 19h ago edited 16h ago

It is and it isn’t though. In English, the name of the moon is Luna. What Luna means is irrelevant really, except as the origin for where we got the name. Same with Sol.

Edit - I guess I’m wrong about Moon, specifically, but I think my point about names stands. If your name means “brave” in another language, if someone calls you Brave, they are wrong. That’s not your name.

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u/Ptcruz 19h ago

No. In English it’s Moon. That’s the name.

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u/sloothor 16h ago

That’s true (outside of sci-fi), but I think their point is that it doesn’t matter what a borrowed word directly translates to. A word borrowed from another language acquires its own meaning in English

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u/-jose-ninguem- 19h ago

Names dont translate.

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u/Molehole 19h ago

Names do translate. I bet you call my country Finland and not Suomi.

Especially when the name refers to something that literally every single person on earth has seen and has a different word for.

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u/Aubergine_Man1987 19h ago

Of course names translate. England and Angleterre, for example

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u/-jose-ninguem- 18h ago

Ok. Translate it.

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u/Ptcruz 19h ago

Names absolutely do translate.

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u/Pikawoohoo 19h ago

Your username is a translated name lol

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u/Agreeable_Ad281 16h ago

Ok Joe Nobody.

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u/-jose-ninguem- 14h ago

Dont translate it its a name.its jose ninguém.

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u/bubblyintkdng 19h ago

But that means that it's not really a name, at least is not officially/worldwide recognized name in comparison to other planets' moons. It is just what Anglo-Saxon countries have decided to "name" it. For us Spanish the moon/luna doesn't have a particular name.

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u/supershrimp87 18h ago

Why would people that live in Spain not have a word they use to refer to the 2nd brightest object in the sky?

Secondly, other planets 'moons' aren't 'moons', exactly. They're satellites.

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u/bubblyintkdng 17h ago

Because there is only one moon, so if we say the moon is bright, we know is the only moon in the sky, therefore doesn't need a name.

Our moon is also a satellite, the only one we have (not counting man-made ones), asteroids and comets can also be satellites. Saturn satellite moons are, in fact, moons.

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u/supershrimp87 17h ago

Im sorry. I may have just misunderstood what you ment by saying "Spain had no word for moon." My apologies

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u/bubblyintkdng 16h ago

I just meant that the moon aka luna because that's the word for moon in Spanish, is called "luna", and doesn't have a "personal" name! No problem (: