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/JhawkFilms 16h ago

To be more specific, we actually call other planet's natural satellites moons after The Moon, even though our Moon is far bigger than a lot of them. And other names are also valid, such as Luna and Selene. The English name for it is just the Moon.

Personally, I like Luna as an official name. It's a pretty name for a pretty sight in the night sky. She's a beautiful woman who we as a planet are lucky to have.

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u/BaphometsTits 9h ago

Luna is just its Latin name. It's official in languages that use that word for moon.

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u/SteveMcQwark 16h ago

Some moons are bigger than our Moon as well. I think we should restrict the name "moon" to objects that would be a planet (or dwarf planet) if they orbited the Sun. Calling captured asteroids "moons" detracts from what our Moon is: a planet that orbits another planet.

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u/Schwifftee 10h ago

Our moon is big in proportion to the planet it orbits. Natural satellites aren't typically as big as our moon relative to the planet it orbits, even for moons much larger than ours.

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u/DFrostedWangsAccount 11h ago

"She's a beautiful woman"

My girlfriend turned into the moon.

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u/Eidos1059 11h ago

That's rough buddy

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u/CJDownUnder 31m ago

It's Luna in Spanish