Planetary Naming

Planetary Naming

Planetary Naming refers to the historical and cultural conventions used to assign names, mythological personas, and symbolic meanings to celestial bodies within astrology. Rooted primarily in Mesopotamian, Greek, and Roman astronomical traditions (where visible planets were named after deities based on their visual characteristics, speed, and color), this naming protocol established the foundational symbolic archetypes that govern astrological interpretation today, extending into the modern naming of asteroids, minor planets, and outer celestial bodies.

The Naming of Pluto (1984)

  • Sky & Telescope
  • 1984

From Sky & Telescope, November 1984

History of Astronomy, Planetary Naming, and Pluto. This archival document is an article titled “THE NAMING OF PLUTO” by Patrick Moore, published in Sky & Telescope in November 1984. The text documents the historical account of how the planet Pluto received its name following its discovery by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930. Moore details how 11-year-old Venetia Burney of Oxford, England, suggested the name “Pluto” during a breakfast conversation with her grandfather, Falconer Madan, who passed the proposal to Oxford astronomy professor H. H. Turner. The article traces the correspondence, telegrams, and official actions between Turner, A. C. D. Crommelin, and Lowell Observatory director V. M. Slipher, leading to the official adoption of the name Pluto on May 1, 1930.

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