Name conflicts of Solar System objects
Encyclopedia
Although in principle every named body in the Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...

 ought to have a distinct name, due to a variety of circumstances, there are several real or apparent name conflicts between different Solar System bodies. Most of these conflicts are between asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...

s and natural satellite
Natural satellite
A natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called its primary. The two terms are used synonymously for non-artificial satellites of planets, of dwarf planets, and of minor planets....

s of planets, which are named according to different but partially overlapping schemes. Most satellites are named after people and divinities in Greek
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...

 and Roman mythology
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...

; this is rarely true of asteroids currently, with the exception of centaurs
Centaur (planetoid)
Centaurs are an unstable orbital class of minor planets that behave with characteristics of both asteroids and comets. They are named after the mythological race of beings, centaurs, which were a mixture of horse and human...

 and Jupiter trojans, but formerly many asteroids had mythological names, which consequently came into conflict with the names of natural satellites.

Bodies with identical names and referents

Some of these bodies have exactly the same name, referring to the same mythological character. The earliest such conflicts possibly arose through not considering certain mythological names as "official"; for instance, the names Io
Io (moon)
Io ) is the innermost of the four Galilean moons of the planet Jupiter and, with a diameter of , the fourth-largest moon in the Solar System. It was named after the mythological character of Io, a priestess of Hera who became one of the lovers of Zeus....

, Europa
Europa (moon)
Europa Slightly smaller than Earth's Moon, Europa is primarily made of silicate rock and probably has an iron core. It has a tenuous atmosphere composed primarily of oxygen. Its surface is composed of ice and is one of the smoothest in the Solar System. This surface is striated by cracks and...

, Ganymede
Ganymede (moon)
Ganymede is a satellite of Jupiter and the largest moon in the Solar System. It is the seventh moon and third Galilean satellite outward from Jupiter. Completing an orbit in roughly seven days, Ganymede participates in a 1:2:4 orbital resonance with the moons Europa and Io, respectively...

 and Callisto
Callisto (moon)
Callisto named after the Greek mythological figure of Callisto) is a moon of the planet Jupiter. It was discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei. It is the third-largest moon in the Solar System and the second largest in the Jovian system, after Ganymede. Callisto has about 99% the diameter of the...

 for the Galilean satellites
Galilean moons
The Galilean moons are the four moons of Jupiter discovered by Galileo Galilei in January 1610. They are the largest of the many moons of Jupiter and derive their names from the lovers of Zeus: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Ganymede, Europa and Io participate in a 1:2:4 orbital resonance...

 of Jupiter were not used in astronomical literature of a certain era, their place being taken by Jupiter I, Jupiter II, Jupiter III, Jupiter IV (cf. Naming of moons).

Moon named first

In the earliest of these conflicts, the natural satellite was named first, and the conflict arose with the naming of an asteroid. These conflicts span the period 1858-1906.
  • Europa
    Europa (moon)
    Europa Slightly smaller than Earth's Moon, Europa is primarily made of silicate rock and probably has an iron core. It has a tenuous atmosphere composed primarily of oxygen. Its surface is composed of ice and is one of the smoothest in the Solar System. This surface is striated by cracks and...

    , a moon of Jupiter
    Jupiter
    Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...

    , named 1614 and 52 Europa
    52 Europa
    52 Europa is one of the larger asteroids in the asteroid belt, having a diameter of 300 km. It was discovered on February 4, 1858, by Hermann Goldschmidt from his balcony in Paris...

    , discovered 1858
  • Io
    Io (moon)
    Io ) is the innermost of the four Galilean moons of the planet Jupiter and, with a diameter of , the fourth-largest moon in the Solar System. It was named after the mythological character of Io, a priestess of Hera who became one of the lovers of Zeus....

    , a moon of Jupiter, named 1614 and 85 Io
    85 Io
    85 Io is a large, dark main-belt asteroid of the C spectral class. It is probably a primitive body composed of carbonates. Like 70 Panopaea it orbits within the Eunomia asteroid family but it is not related to the shattered parent body....

    , discovered 1865
  • Dione
    Dione (moon)
    Dione is a moon of Saturn discovered by Cassini in 1684. It is named after the titan Dione of Greek mythology. It is also designated Saturn IV.- Name :...

    , a moon of Saturn
    Saturn
    Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...

    , named 1847 and 106 Dione
    106 Dione
    106 Dione is a large main-belt asteroid. It probably has a composition similar to 1 Ceres. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on October 10, 1868, and named after Dione, a Titaness in Greek mythology who was sometimes said to have been the mother of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty....

    , discovered 1868
  • Rhea
    Rhea (moon)
    Rhea is the second-largest moon of Saturn and the ninth largest moon in the Solar System. It was discovered in 1672 by Giovanni Domenico Cassini.-Name:Rhea is named after the Titan Rhea of Greek mythology, "mother of the gods"...

    , a moon of Saturn, named 1847 and 577 Rhea
    577 Rhea
    577 Rhea is a minor planet orbiting the sun. It is named after Rhea, one of the Titans in Greek mythology.It should not be confused with Saturn's moon Rhea.-External links:*...

    , discovered 1905
  • Titania
    Titania (moon)
    Titania is the largest of the moons of Uranus and the eighth largest moon in the Solar System at a diameter of 1578 km. Discovered by William Herschel in 1787, Titania is named after the queen of the fairies in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream...

    , a moon of Uranus
    Uranus
    Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus , the father of Cronus and grandfather of Zeus...

    , named 1852 and 593 Titania
    593 Titania
    593 Titania is a minor planet orbiting the Sun.Not to be confused with Titania the largest moon of Uranus.-External links:*...

    , discovered 1906

Asteroid named first

Later conflicts arose in relatively recent times from giving newly discovered satellites the same names as those of asteroids. By this time, it was possibly felt that the true name of an asteroid such as "38 Leda" included its minor planet number, and so re-using the name for a satellite did not really create a conflict. These conflicts span the period 1975-2001, though some conflicts of this type had arisen earlier with some names used unofficially.
  • 9 Metis
    9 Metis
    9 Metis is one of the larger main-belt asteroids. It is composed of silicates and metallic nickel-iron, and may be the core remnant of a large asteroid that was destroyed by an ancient collision...

    , discovered 1848 and Metis
    Metis (moon)
    Metis , also known as ', is the innermost moon of Jupiter. It was discovered in 1979 in images taken by Voyager 1, and was named in 1983 after the first wife of Zeus, Metis...

    , a moon of Jupiter, named 1983.
  • 24 Themis
    24 Themis
    24 Themis is one of the largest main-belt asteroids. It is also the largest member of the Themistian asteroid family. It was discovered by Annibale de Gasparis on April 5, 1853...

    , discovered 1853 and Themis
    Themis (hypothetical moon)
    On April 28, 1905, William H. Pickering, who had seven years earlier discovered Phoebe, announced the discovery of a tenth satellite of Saturn, which he promptly named Themis. The photographic plates on which it supposedly appeared, thirteen in all, spanned a period between April 17 and July 8, 1904...

    , named 1905. The latter Themis was a supposed moon of Saturn that turned out not to exist.
  • 38 Leda
    38 Leda
    38 Leda is a large, dark main-belt asteroid.It was discovered by J. Chacornac on January 12, 1856, and named after Leda, the mother of Helen of Troy in Greek mythology.Leda is also the name of a satellite of Jupiter and a catalogue of galaxies....

    , discovered 1856 and Leda
    Leda (moon)
    Leda , also known as ', is a prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Charles T. Kowal at the Mount Palomar Observatory on September 14, 1974, after three nights' worth of photographic plates had been taken...

    , a moon of Jupiter, named 1975.
  • 55 Pandora
    55 Pandora
    55 Pandora is a fairly large and very bright main belt asteroid. Pandora was discovered by George Mary Searle on September 10, 1858 from the Dudley Observatory near Albany, NY. It was his first and only asteroid discovery....

    , discovered 1858 and Pandora
    Pandora (moon)
    Pandora is an inner satellite of Saturn. It was discovered in 1980 from photos taken by the Voyager 1 probe, and was provisionally designated '. In late 1985 it was officially named after Pandora from Greek mythology. It is also designated as '.Pandora is the outer shepherd satellite of the F Ring...

    , a moon of Saturn, named 1985.
  • 74 Galatea
    74 Galatea
    74 Galatea is a large main-belt asteroid. Its surface is very dark in color. Galatea was found by the prolific comet discoverer Ernst Tempel on August 29, 1862, in Marseilles, France. It was his third asteroid discovery. It is named after one of the two Galateas in Greek mythology. A stellar...

    , discovered 1862 and Galatea
    Galatea (moon)
    Galatea , also known as Neptune VI, is the fourth closest inner satellite of Neptune. It is named after Galatea, one of the Nereids of Greek legend.Galatea was discovered in late July 1989 from the images taken by the Voyager 2 probe...

    , a moon of Neptune
    Neptune
    Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times...

    , discovered 1989.
  • 113 Amalthea
    113 Amalthea
    113 Amalthea is a fairly typical rocky main-belt asteroid orbiting in the inner regions of the belt. It was discovered by R. Luther on March 12, 1871....

    , discovered 1871 and Amalthea
    Amalthea (moon)
    Amalthea is the third moon of Jupiter in order of distance from the planet. It was discovered on September 9, 1892, by Edward Emerson Barnard and named after Amalthea, a nymph in Greek mythology. It is also known as '....

    , a moon of Jupiter, discovered 1892; the name was suggested by Camille Flammarion
    Camille Flammarion
    Nicolas Camille Flammarion was a French astronomer and author. He was a prolific author of more than fifty titles, including popular science works about astronomy, several notable early science fiction novels, and several works about Spiritism and related topics. He also published the magazine...

     shortly after its discovery, but it was not officially named until 1975.
  • 171 Ophelia
    171 Ophelia
    171 Ophelia is a large, dark Themistian asteroid. It probably has a primitive composition, similar to that of the carbonaceous chondrite meteorites....

    , discovered 1877 and Ophelia
    Ophelia (moon)
    Ophelia is a moon of Uranus. It was discovered from the images taken by Voyager 2 on January 20, 1986, and was given the temporary designation S/1986 U 8. It was not seen until the Hubble Space Telescope recovered it in 2003. Ophelia was named after the daughter of Polonius, Ophelia, in...

    , a moon of Uranus, discovered 1986.
  • 239 Adrastea
    239 Adrastea
    239 Adrastea is a typical main belt asteroid.It was discovered by Johann Palisa on August 18, 1884 in Vienna. It is named after the Greek nymph Adrasteia.- References :*[ftp://ftp.lowell.edu/pub/elgb/astorb.html The Asteroid Orbital Elements Database]*...

    , discovered 1884 and Adrastea
    Adrastea (moon)
    Adrastea , also known as ', is the second by distance, and the smallest of the four inner moons of Jupiter. It was discovered in Voyager 2 probe photographs taken in 1979, making it the first natural satellite to be discovered from images taken by an interplanetary spacecraft, rather than...

    , a moon of Jupiter, named in 1983. Adrastea was also an unofficial name for Jupiter's moon Ananke
    Ananke (moon)
    Ananke is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson at Mount Wilson Observatory in 1951 and is named after the mythological Ananke, the personification of Necessity, and the mother of the Moirae by Zeus...

     (1955–1975).
  • 666 Desdemona
    666 Desdemona
    666 Desdemona is a minor planet orbiting the Sun.It may often be confused with Desdemona, a moon of the planet Uranus.-External links:*...

    , discovered 1908 and Desdemona
    Desdemona (moon)
    Desdemona is an inner satellite of Uranus. It was discovered from the images taken by Voyager 2 on 13 January 1986, and was given the temporary designation S/1986 U 6. Desdemona is named after the wife of Othello in William Shakespeare's play Othello...

    , a moon of Uranus, discovered 1986.
  • 1810 Epimetheus
    1810 Epimetheus
    1810 Epimetheus is an asteroid that was discovered on September 24, 1960 by Cornelis Johannes Van Houten, Ingrid Van Houten-Groeneveld, and Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory near Pauma Valley, California....

    , discovered 1960 and Epimetheus
    Epimetheus (moon)
    Epimetheus is an inner satellite of Saturn. It is also known as Saturn XI. It is named after the mythological Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus.-Discovery:Epimetheus occupies essentially the same orbit as the moon Janus...

     a moon of Saturn, named 1983.
  • 1809 Prometheus
    1809 Prometheus
    1809 Prometheus is an asteroid that shares the name of one of the lesser-known Saturnian moons, Prometheus....

    , discovered 1960 and Prometheus
    Prometheus (moon)
    -Animations:-External links:* at ** anaglyph view of Prometheus...

    , a moon of Saturn, named 1985.
  • 2758 Cordelia
    2758 Cordelia
    2758 Cordelia is a main-belt asteroid discovered on 1 September 1978 by Chernykh, N. at Nauchnyj.- External links :*...

    , discovered 1978 and Cordelia
    Cordelia (moon)
    Cordelia is the innermost moon of Uranus. It was discovered from the images taken by Voyager 2 on January 20, 1986, and was given the temporary designation S/1986 U 7. It was not detected again until the Hubble Space Telescope observed it in 1997...

    , a moon of Uranus, discovered 1986.
  • 4450 Pan
    4450 Pan
    4450 Pan is an asteroid that was discovered on September 25, 1987 by Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker. It is a Venus, Mars, and Earth crosser. Pan approaches nearer than 10 Gm to those three planets, and within 20 Gm of Mercury.-External links:...

    , discovered 1987 and Pan
    Pan (moon)
    Pan is the innermost moon of Saturn. It is a walnut-shaped small moon about 35 kilometres across and 23 km high that orbits within the Encke Gap in Saturn's A Ring. Pan acts as a ring shepherd and is responsible for keeping the Encke Gap free of ring particles.It was discovered by Mark R...

    , a moon of Saturn, discovered 1990. Pan was also an unofficial name for Jupiter's moon Carme
    Carme (moon)
    Carme is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson at Mount Wilson Observatory in California in July 1938. It is named after the mythological Carme, mother by Zeus of Britomartis, a Cretan goddess....

     (1955–1975).
  • 10386 Romulus
    10386 Romulus
    10386 Romulus is an outer main-belt asteroid discovered on October 12, 1996 by V. S. Casulli at Colleverde di Guidonia.- External links :*...

    , discovered 1996, and (87) Sylvia I Romulus, a moon of 87 Sylvia, discovered 2001.

Bodies with identical names and different referents

Some bodies have names of identical form, but were actually named for different persons or things.
  • 218 Bianca
    218 Bianca
    218 Bianca is a sizeable Main belt asteroid. It is an S-type asteroid.It was discovered by Johann Palisa on September 4, 1880, in Pola and was named after the Austro-Hungarian opera singer Bianca Bianchi...

     discovered 1880, was named after opera singer Bianca Bianchi and Bianca
    Bianca (moon)
    Bianca is an inner satellite of Uranus. It was discovered from the images taken by Voyager 2 on January 23, 1986, and was given the temporary designation S/1986 U 9. It was named after the sister of Katherine in Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew...

    , a moon of Uranus, discovered 1986, was named after a Shakespeare character.
  • 1162 Larissa
    1162 Larissa
    1162 Larissa is an outer main belt asteroid orbiting the Sun. Approximately 45 kilometers in diameter, it makes a revolution around the Sun once every 8 years. It was discovered by Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth at Heidelberg, Germany on January 5, 1930. Its provisional designation was 1930 AC.-References:...

    , discovered 1930, was named for the Thessalian town Larissa
    Larissa
    Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...

     and Larissa
    Larissa (moon)
    Larissa , also known as Neptune VII, is the fifth-closest inner satellite of Neptune. It is named after Larissa, a lover of Poseidon in Greek mythology and eponymous nymph of the city in Thessaly.- Discovery :...

    , a moon of Neptune, discovered 1989, was named after the nymph Larissa
    Larissa (mythology)
    In Greek mythology, Larissa was a local nymph from Thessaly. She was described by Pausanias as a daughter of Pelasgus. However, Hellanicus states that the sons of Poseidon and Larissa were Achaios, Phthios, and Pelasgus...

    .

Bodies with similar names and the same referent

Some objects have names that refer to the same mythological character, but slight variations in spelling prevent there from being a technical conflict.

Moon named first

  • Callisto
    Callisto (moon)
    Callisto named after the Greek mythological figure of Callisto) is a moon of the planet Jupiter. It was discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei. It is the third-largest moon in the Solar System and the second largest in the Jovian system, after Ganymede. Callisto has about 99% the diameter of the...

    , a moon of Jupiter, named 1614 and 204 Kallisto
    204 Kallisto
    204 Kallisto is a fairly typical, although sizeable Main belt asteroid. It is classified as an S-type asteroid. Like other asteroids of its type, it is light in colour.It was discovered by Johann Palisa on October 8, 1879 in Pola....

    , discovered 1879, both variant transliterations of the name of the nymph
    Nymph
    A nymph in Greek mythology is a female minor nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing;...

     Callisto
    Callisto (mythology)
    In Greek mythology, Callisto or Kallisto was a nymph of Artemis. Transformed into a bear and set among the stars, she was the bear-mother of the Arcadians, through her son Arcas.-Origin of the myth:...

    .
  • Ganymede
    Ganymede (moon)
    Ganymede is a satellite of Jupiter and the largest moon in the Solar System. It is the seventh moon and third Galilean satellite outward from Jupiter. Completing an orbit in roughly seven days, Ganymede participates in a 1:2:4 orbital resonance with the moons Europa and Io, respectively...

    , a moon of Jupiter, named 1614 and 1036 Ganymed
    1036 Ganymed
    1036 Ganymed is the largest Amor asteroid, at about 32 km in diameter. It was discovered by Walter Baade on October 23, 1924, and is named after Ganymede, the Trojan prince turned god whom Zeus designated the cupbearer to the Greek gods...

    , discovered 1924, both named for Zeus
    Zeus
    In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...

    ' cupbearer. The name in Latin is Ganymedes, of which Ganymede is an English form and Ganymed a German one. The names are therefore in full conflict in German.

Asteroid named first

  • 53 Kalypso
    53 Kalypso
    53 Kalypso is a large and very dark main belt asteroid. It was discovered by Robert Luther on April 4, 1858 at Düsseldorf. It is named after Calypso, a sea nymph in Greek mythology, a name it shares with Calypso, a moon of Saturn.- References :...

    , discovered 1858 and Calypso
    Calypso (moon)
    Calypso is a moon of Saturn. It was discovered in 1980, from ground-based observations, by Dan Pascu, P. Kenneth Seidelmann, William A. Baum, and Douglas G. Currie, and was provisionally designated ' . Several other apparitions of it were recorded in the following months: , , , and...

    , a moon of Saturn, named 1983, both named for the Atlantid nymph
    Nymph
    A nymph in Greek mythology is a female minor nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing;...

     Calypso
    Calypso (mythology)
    Calypso was a nymph in Greek mythology, who lived on the island of Ogygia, where she detained Odysseus for a number of years. She is generally said to be the daughter of the Titan Atlas....

    .
  • 548 Kressida
    548 Kressida
    548 Kressida is a minor planet orbiting the Sun....

    , discovered 1904 and Cressida
    Cressida (moon)
    Cressida is an inner satellite of Uranus. It was discovered from the images taken by Voyager 2 on 9 January 1986, and was given the temporary designation S/1986 U 3. It was named after the Trojan daughter of Calchas, a tragic heroine who appears in William Shakespeare's play Troilus and...

    , a moon of Uranus, discovered 1986, both named after Cressida
    Cressida
    Cressida is a character who appears in many Medieval and Renaissance retellings of the story of the Trojan War. She is a Trojan woman, the daughter of Calchas a priestly defector to the Greeks...

    , a heroine in English-language versions of the Troy legend.
  • 101 Helena
    101 Helena
    101 Helena is a fairly small, rocky main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on August 15, 1868. It is named after Helen of Troy in Greek mythology....

    , discovered 1868 and Helene
    Helene (moon)
    Helene is a moon of Saturn. It was discovered by Pierre Laques and Jean Lecacheux in 1980 from ground-based observations at Pic du Midi Observatory, and was designated . In 1988 it was officially named after Helen of Troy, who was the granddaughter of Cronus in Greek mythology...

    , a moon of Saturn, named 1988, both named after Helen of Troy.
  • 899 Jokaste
    899 Jokaste
    899 Jokaste is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. It was one of five minor planets included in the 1993 study, Transition Comets -- UV Search for OH Emissions in Asteroids, which was research involving amateur astronomers who were permitted to make use of the Hubble Space Telescope. Not to be...

    , discovered 1918 and Iocaste
    Iocaste (moon)
    Iocaste , also known as ', is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S...

    , a moon of Jupiter, named 2002, both named for Queen Jocasta
    Jocasta
    In Greek mythology, Jocasta, also known as Jocaste , Epikastê, or Iokastê was a daughter of Menoeceus and Queen consort of Thebes, Greece. She was the wife of Laius. Wife and mother of Oedipus by Laius, and both mother and grandmother of Antigone, Eteocles, Polynices and Ismene by Oedipus...

     of Thebes.
  • 763 Cupido
    763 Cupido
    -External links:*...

    , discovered 1913 and Cupid
    Cupid (moon)
    Cupid is an inner satellite of Uranus. It was discovered by Mark Showalter and Jack J. Lissauer in 2003 using the Hubble Space Telescope. It was named after a character in William Shakespeare's play Timon of Athens....

    , a moon of Uranus, discovered 2003, after the Roman god Cupid
    Cupid
    In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is the son of the goddess Venus and the god Mars. His Greek counterpart is Eros...

    . Cupido is the Latin form, Cupid a modification of the same used in English. The name of the moon Cupid specifically refers to Cupid appearing as a character in the play Timon of Athens
    Timon of Athens
    The Life of Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare about the fortunes of an Athenian named Timon , generally regarded as one of his most obscure and difficult works...

    .
  • 3908 Nyx
    3908 Nyx
    3908 Nyx is an Amor and Mars-crosser asteroid. It was discovered by Hans-Emil Schuster on August 6, 1980, and is named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night, after which Pluto's moon Nix is also named...

    , discovered 1980 and Nix
    Nix (moon)
    Nix is a natural satellite of Pluto. It was discovered along with Hydra in June 2005, and is to be visited along with Pluto by the New Horizons mission in July 2015.- Discovery :...

    , a moon of Pluto
    Pluto
    Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...

    , named 2006, both named for Nyx, goddess of night.

Both asteroids

  • 161 Athor
    161 Athor
    161 Athor is an M-type Main belt asteroid that was discovered by James Craig Watson on April 19, 1876 at the Detroit Observatory and named after Hathor, an Egyptian fertility goddess. An occultation by Athor was observed, on October 15, 2002 resulting in an estimated diameter of .- References :...

    , discovered 1876 and 2340 Hathor
    2340 Hathor
    2340 Hathor is an asteroid that was discovered on October 22, 1976 by C.T. Kowal at Palomar. Like the other objects of Aten type, Hathor is named for an Egyptian deity. Known as a sky-goddess and the daughter of Ra, Hathor was also identified with Aphrodite. The name was proposed by E...

    , discovered 1976, both named for the Egyptian goddess Hathor
    Hathor
    Hathor , is an Ancient Egyptian goddess who personified the principles of love, beauty, music, motherhood and joy. She was one of the most important and popular deities throughout the history of Ancient Egypt...

    .

Bodies with similar names and different referents

  • 558 Carmen
    558 Carmen
    -External links:*...

    , discovered 1905, and Carme
    Carme (moon)
    Carme is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson at Mount Wilson Observatory in California in July 1938. It is named after the mythological Carme, mother by Zeus of Britomartis, a Cretan goddess....

    , discovered 1938.
  • 832 Karin
    832 Karin
    832 Karin is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. It is named after Queen Karin Månsdotter It is the largest member of the Karin Cluster, which is named after it. Found in 2002, the Karin cluster is notable for being very young...

    , discovered 1916, and Kari, discovered 2006.
  • 1131 Porzia
    1131 Porzia
    1131 Porzia is a Mars-crossing asteroid orbiting the Sun. It makes a revolution around the Sun once every 3 years. It completes one rotation once every 4 hours. It was discovered by Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth on September 10, 1929. It was named for a character in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. Its...

    , discovered 1929, named for Porcia Catonis
    Porcia Catonis
    Porcia Catonis, also known simply as Porcia was a Roman woman who lived in the 1st century BC. She was the daughter of Marcus Porcius Cato Uticencis and his first wife Atilia...

    , wife of Marcus Junius Brutus
    Marcus Junius Brutus
    Marcus Junius Brutus , often referred to as Brutus, was a politician of the late Roman Republic. After being adopted by his uncle he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, but eventually returned to using his original name...

    ; and Portia
    Portia (moon)
    Portia is an inner satellite of Uranus. It was discovered from the images taken by Voyager 2 on 3 January 1986, and was given the temporary designation S/1986 U 1. The moon is named after Portia, the heroine of William Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice...

    , a moon of Uranus, discovered 1986, named for the character Portia
    Portia (Merchant of Venice)
    Portia is the heroine of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. A rich, beautiful, and intelligent heiress, she is bound by the lottery set forth in her father's will, which gives potential suitors the chance to choose between three caskets composed of gold, silver and lead...

     in William Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice
    The Merchant of Venice
    The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...

    .
  • 9313 Protea
    9313 Protea
    9313 Protea is a main-belt asteroid discovered on February 13, 1988 by E. W. Elst at the European Southern Observatory.- External links :*...

    , discovered 1988, and Proteus
    Proteus (moon)
    Proteus , also known as Neptune VIII, is the second largest Neptunian moon, and Neptune's largest inner satellite. Discovered by Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1989, it is named after Proteus, the shape-changing sea god of Greek mythology...

    , discovered 1989.
  • 9986 Hirokun
    9986 Hirokun
    9986 Hirokun is an S-type main belt asteroid. It orbits the Sun once every 4.12 years.Discovered on July 12, 1996 by Y. Shimizu and T. Urata, it was given the provisional designation 1996 NX. It was later renamed 9986 Hirokun, after the fiancé of T. Urata's daughter.- References :...

    , discovered 1996, and Hyrrokkin, discovered 2004.
  • 98 Ianthe
    98 Ianthe
    98 Ianthe is a large main-belt asteroid. Named for the various Ianthe in Greek mythology. It is very dark and is composed of carbonates. It was one of the numerous discoveries by C. H. F. Peters, who found it on April 18, 1868, from Clinton, New York.-References:...

    , discovered 1868, 411 Xanthe
    411 Xanthe
    411 Xanthe is a large Main belt asteroid.It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on January 7, 1896 in Nice....

    , discovered 1896, and Anthe
    Anthe (moon)
    Anthe is a very small natural satellite of Saturn lying between the orbits of Mimas and Enceladus. It is also known as Saturn XLIX; its provisional designation was S/2007 S 4. It is named after one of the Alkyonides; the name means flowery. It is the sixtieth confirmed moon of Saturn.It was...

    , discovered 2007.

Bodies with different names and the same referent

Several bodies have completely distinct names, but may be confused because their names refer to the same thing or the same mythological character. This is usually true when one name is Latin and another Greek, and causes especial confusion in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

, where the Greek forms of all mythological names are used in preference to the Latin names.

Conflicts with planets

Some of the conflicts, surprisingly enough, are with planets with long-established names.
  • Earth
    Earth
    Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...

     and 1184 Gaea
    1184 Gaea
    1184 Gaea is a main-belt asteroid discovered on September 5, 1926 by Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth at Heidelberg.This asteroid is named after Gaea , goddess of Earth in Greek mythology, who was wife of Uranus.- External links :*...

    , discovered 1926.
  • Venus
    Venus
    Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...

     and 1388 Aphrodite
    1388 Aphrodite
    1388 Aphrodite is an asteroid. It was discovered by Eugène Joseph Delporte on September 24, 1935. Its provisional designation was 1935 SS. It was named after Aphrodite the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality.MAP ALERTS...

    , discovered 1935.
  • Mercury
    Mercury (planet)
    Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...

     and 69230 Hermes
    69230 Hermes
    -External links:* * *...

    , named 1937 (but not numbered until 2003).
  • Neptune
    Neptune
    Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times...

    , discovered 1846 and 4341 Poseidon
    4341 Poseidon
    4341 Poseidon is a Apollo asteroid and Near-Earth object discovered on May 29, 1987 by Carolyn S. Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory.- External links :*...

    , discovered 1987. Poseidon was also an unofficial name for Jupiter's moon Pasiphae
    Pasiphaë (moon)
    Pasiphaë is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered in 1908 by Philibert Jacques Melotte and later named after the mythological Pasiphaë, wife of Minos and mother of the Minotaur from Greek legend....

     1955-1975.
  • Jupiter
    Jupiter
    Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...

     and 5731 Zeus
    5731 Zeus
    5731 Zeus is an Apollo asteroid and Near-Earth object discovered on November 4, 1988 by C. S. Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory. Based on its observed brightness and assumed albedo it is estimated to have a diameter between 2.1 and 4.7 km....

    , discovered 1988.
  • There was also a potential conflict between Hades, an unofficial name for Sinope
    Sinope (moon)
    Sinope is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson at Lick Observatory in 1914, and is named after Sinope of Greek mythology....

    , a moon of Jupiter between 1955 and 1975, and Pluto
    Pluto
    Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...

    , discovered 1930.
  • Vulcan
    Vulcan (hypothetical planet)
    Vulcan was a small planet proposed to exist in an orbit between Mercury and the Sun. In an attempt to explain peculiarities of Mercury's orbit, in the 19th-century French mathematician Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier hypothesized that they were the result of another planet, which he named Vulcan...

    , a hypothetical planet once proposed to exist in an orbit between Mercury and the Sun, and 2212 Hephaistos
    2212 Hephaistos
    2212 Hephaistos is an Apollo asteroid and a NEO discovered on September 27, 1978 by L. I. Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory. It is named for the Greek god Hephaestus.-References:...

    , discovered 1978.

Conflicts among asteroids

Other conflicts occurred between asteroids discovered earlier and those discovered later.
  • 4 Vesta
    4 Vesta
    Vesta, formally designated 4 Vesta, is one of the largest asteroids, with a mean diameter of about . It was discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers on March 29, 1807, and is named after the Roman virgin goddess of home and hearth, Vesta....

    , discovered 1807 and 46 Hestia
    46 Hestia
    46 Hestia is a large, dark main-belt asteroid. It is also the primary body of the Hestia clump, a group of asteroids with similar orbits.Hestia was discovered by N. R. Pogson on August 16, 1857, at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford. Pogson awarded the honour of naming it to William Henry Smyth,...

    , discovered 1857. Hestia was also an unofficial name for Jupiter's moon Himalia
    Himalia (moon)
    Himalia is the largest irregular satellite of Jupiter, the sixth largest overall in size, and the fifth largest in mass. It was discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at the Lick Observatory on 3 December 1904 and is named after the nymph Himalia, who bore three sons of Zeus .- Discovery...

     1955-1975. Named for the goddess Hestia
    Hestia
    In Greek mythology Hestia , first daughter of Cronus and Rhea , is the virgin goddess of the hearth, architecture, and of the right ordering of domesticity and the family. She received the first offering at every sacrifice in the household. In the public domain, the hearth of the prytaneum...

    .
  • 5 Astraea
    5 Astraea
    5 Astraea is a large main-belt asteroid. Its surface is highly reflective and its composition is probably a mixture of nickel-iron with magnesium- and iron-silicates....

    , discovered 1845, 24 Themis
    24 Themis
    24 Themis is one of the largest main-belt asteroids. It is also the largest member of the Themistian asteroid family. It was discovered by Annibale de Gasparis on April 5, 1853...

    , discovered 1853, 99 Dike
    99 Dike
    99 Dike is a quite large and dark main-belt asteroid. Dike was discovered by Alphonse Borrelly on May 28, 1868. It was his first asteroid discovery. It is named after Dike, the Greek goddess of moral justice.-References:...

    , discovered 1868, and 269 Justitia
    269 Justitia
    269 Justitia is a fairly sizeable Main belt asteroid.It was discovered by Johann Palisa on September 21, 1887 in Vienna.The asteroid was named after Justitia, the Roman equivalent of Themis, the Greek goddess of justice .- References :*[ftp://ftp.lowell.edu/pub/elgb/astorb.html The Asteroid Orbital...

    , discovered 1887. Named for goddesses of Justice
    Lady Justice
    Lady Justice |Dike]]) is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems.-Depiction:The personification of justice balancing the scales of truth and fairness dates back to the Goddess Maat, and later Isis, of ancient Egypt. The Hellenic deities Themis and Dike were later...

    .
  • 2 Pallas
    2 Pallas
    Pallas, formally designated 2 Pallas, is the second asteroid to have been discovered , and one of the largest. It is estimated to constitute 7% of the mass of the asteroid belt, and its diameter of 530–565 km is comparable to, or slightly larger than, that of 4 Vesta. It is however 20%...

    , named 1802, 93 Minerva
    93 Minerva
    93 Minerva is a large trinary main-belt asteroid. It is a C-type asteroid, meaning that it has a dark surface and possibly a primitive carbonaceous composition. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on August 24, 1867, and named after Minerva, the Roman equivalent of Athena, goddess of wisdom...

    , discovered 1867, and 881 Athene
    881 Athene
    -External links:*...

    , discovered 1917. It might be argued that "Pallas" here does not actually refer to the goddess Athene, but rather her mythological companion Pallas
    PALLAS
    This article is about the research group. See Pallas for other uses of this word.PALLAS stands for Parallel Applications, Libraries, Languages, Algorithms, and Systems. It is a research group in of the at , led by...

    ; however, in the 19th century "Pallas" was commonly used as shorthand for "Pallas Athene", and in the company of Ceres, Juno, and Vesta, it seems more likely that Athene was intended.
  • 3 Juno
    3 Juno
    Juno , formal designation 3 Juno in the Minor Planet Center catalogue system, was the third asteroid to be discovered and is one of the larger main-belt asteroids, being one of the two largest stony asteroids, along with 15 Eunomia. Juno is estimated to contain 1% of the total mass of the asteroid...

    , discovered 1804 and 103 Hera
    103 Hera
    103 Hera is a moderately large main-belt asteroid. It has a silicate surface composition. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on September 7, 1868, and named after Hera, queen and fifth in power of the Olympian gods in Greek mythology.-References:...

    , discovered 1868. Hera was also an unofficial name for Jupiter's moon Elara
    Elara (moon)
    Elara is a prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at Lick Observatory in 1905. It is the eighth largest moon of Jupiter and is named after the mother by Zeus of the giant Tityus....

     1955-1975. Named for the goddess Hera
    Hera
    Hera was the wife and one of three sisters of Zeus in the Olympian pantheon of Greek mythology and religion. Her chief function was as the goddess of women and marriage. Her counterpart in the religion of ancient Rome was Juno. The cow and the peacock were sacred to her...

    .
  • 78 Diana
    78 Diana
    78 Diana is a large and dark main-belt asteroid. Its composition is carbonaceous and primitive. It was discovered by Robert Luther on March 15, 1863, and named after Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt. 78 Diana occulted a star on September 4, 1980. A diameter of 116 km was measured, closely...

    , discovered 1863 and 105 Artemis
    105 Artemis
    105 Artemis is a fairly large main-belt asteroid. It is a C-type asteroid, meaning that it is very dark and composed of carbonaceous material. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on September 16, 1868, and named after Artemis, The goddess of the hunt, moon, and crossways in Greek Mythology. Several...

    , discovered 1868 and 395 Delia
    395 Delia
    395 Delia is a large Main belt asteroid.It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on November 30, 1894 in Nice....

     and 15992 Cynthia
    15992 Cynthia
    15992 Cynthia is a main-belt asteroid discovered on December 18, 1998 by G. Hug at Farpoint Observatory.- External links :*...

    . These names all refer to the goddess Artemis
    Artemis
    Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...

    , the last two being epithets derived from placenames associated with the goddess.
  • 94 Aurora
    94 Aurora
    94 Aurora is one of the largest main-belt asteroids. With an albedo of only 0.04, it is darker than soot, and has a primitive compositions consisting of carbonaecous material. It was discovered by J. C...

    , discovered 1867 and 221 Eos
    221 Eos
    221 Eos is a rather large main-belt asteroid. It is classified as a K-type asteroid. It is a member of the extensive Eos asteroid family, which is named after it.Eos was discovered by Johann Palisa on January 18, 1882, in Vienna...

     discovered 1882. Named for the goddess of the dawn.
  • 19 Fortuna
    19 Fortuna
    19 Fortuna is one of the largest main-belt asteroids. It has a composition similar to 1 Ceres: a darkly colored surface that is heavily space-weathered with the composition of primitive organic compounds, including tholins....

    , discovered 1852 and 258 Tyche
    258 Tyche
    258 Tyche is a relatively large main belt asteroid discovered in 1886. It is classified as an S-type. Tyche orbits very close to the Eunomia family of asteroids, and could be a member based on composition. However, it is larger than all family members apart from 15 Eunomia while lying at the very...

    , discovered 1886. Named for the goddess of luck.
  • 12 Victoria
    12 Victoria
    12 Victoria is a large main-belt asteroid.It was discovered by J. R. Hind on September 13, 1850.Victoria is officially named after the Roman goddess of victory, but the name also honours Queen Victoria. The goddess Victoria was the daughter of Styx by the Titan Pallas...

    , discovered 1850 and 307 Nike, discovered 1891. Named for the goddess of victory. Cf. Nike
    Nike (mythology)
    In Greek mythology, Nike was a goddess who personified victory, also known as the Winged Goddess of Victory. The Roman equivalent was Victoria. Depending upon the time of various myths, she was described as the daughter of Pallas and Styx and the sister of Kratos , Bia , and Zelus...

     and Victoria
    Victoria (mythology)
    In ancient Roman religion, Victoria was the personified goddess of victory. She is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Nike, and was associated with Bellona. She was adapted from the Sabine agricultural goddess Vacuna and had a temple on the Palatine Hill...

    .
  • 26 Proserpina
    26 Proserpina
    26 Proserpina is a main-belt asteroid.It was discovered by R. Luther on May 5, 1853.It is named after the Roman goddess Proserpina, the daughter of Ceres and the Queen of the Underworld.-References:...

    , discovered 1853 and 399 Persephone
    399 Persephone
    399 Persephone is a typical Main belt asteroid.It was discovered by Max Wolf on February 23, 1895 in Heidelberg.-External links:...

    , discovered 1895.
  • 106 Dione
    106 Dione
    106 Dione is a large main-belt asteroid. It probably has a composition similar to 1 Ceres. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on October 10, 1868, and named after Dione, a Titaness in Greek mythology who was sometimes said to have been the mother of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty....

    , discovered 1868 and 405 Thia
    405 Thia
    405 Thia is a very large main-belt asteroid. It is classified as a C-type asteroid and is probably composed of carbonaceous material.It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on July 23, 1895, in Nice.-External links:...

    , discovered 1895. The equivalence between Dione and Thia is less certain. Theia is however often used for an object supposed to have collided with the early Earth, producing the Moon
    Moon
    The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...

     as a result.
  • 8 Flora
    8 Flora
    8 Flora is a large, bright main-belt asteroid. It is the innermost large asteroid: no asteroid closer to the Sun has a diameter above 25 kilometres or two-elevenths that of Flora itself, and not until the tiny 149 Medusa was discovered was a single asteroid orbiting at a closer mean distance...

    , discovered 1847 and 410 Chloris
    410 Chloris
    410 Chloris is a very large main-belt asteroid. It is classified as a C-type asteroid and is probably composed of primitive carbonaceous material. It is the namesake of the Chloris family of asteroids....

    , discovered 1896. Named for the goddess of flowers. Cf. Flora
    Flora (mythology)
    In Roman mythology, Flora was a goddess of flowers and the season of spring. While she was otherwise a relatively minor figure in Roman mythology, being one among several fertility goddesses, her association with the spring gave her particular importance at the coming of springtime...

     and Chloris
    Chloris
    thumb|250px|right| "As she talks, her lips breathe spring roses:I was Chloris, who am now called Flora." [[Ovid]]There are many stories in Greek mythology about figures named Chloris...

    .
  • 424 Gratia
    424 Gratia
    424 Gratia is a large Main belt asteroid.It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on December 31, 1896 in Nice....

     discovered 1896 and 627 Charis
    627 Charis
    -External links:*...

     discovered 1907. Named for any one of the Graces
    Charites
    In Greek mythology, a Charis is one of several Charites , goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility. They ordinarily numbered three, from youngest to oldest: Aglaea , Euphrosyne , and Thalia . In Roman mythology they were known as the Gratiae, the "Graces"...

    .
  • 68 Leto
    68 Leto
    68 Leto is a large main belt asteroid. Its spectral type is S. It was discovered by Robert Luther on April 29, 1861. The asteroid is named after Leto, the mother of Apollo and Artemis in Greek mythology.-External links:* from JPL *...

    , discovered 1861 and 639 Latona
    639 Latona
    -External links:* -References:...

    , discovered 1907. Named for Leto
    Leto
    In Greek mythology, Leto is a daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe. The island of Kos is claimed as her birthplace. In the Olympian scheme, Zeus is the father of her twins, Apollo and Artemis, the Letoides, which Leto conceived after her hidden beauty accidentally caught the eyes of Zeus...

    , mother of Apollo and Artemis.
  • 14 Irene
    14 Irene
    14 Irene is a very large main-belt asteroid.14 Irene was discovered by J. R. Hind on May 19, 1851, and named after Eirene, a personification of peace in Greek mythology. She was one of the Horae, daughter of Zeus and Themis. The name was suggested by Sir John Herschel...

    , discovered 1851 and 679 Pax
    679 Pax
    679 Pax is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. It is named after Pax, a Roman goddess.-External links:*...

    , discovered 1909. Named for the goddess of peace.
  • 433 Eros
    433 Eros
    433 Eros is a near-Earth asteroid discovered in 1898, and the first asteroid to be orbited by a probe . It is an S-type asteroid approximately 34.4×11.2×11.2 km in size, the second-largest NEA after 1036 Ganymed, and belongs to the Amor group.Eros is a Mars-crosser asteroid, the first known...

    , discovered 1898 and 763 Cupido
    763 Cupido
    -External links:*...

    , discovered 1913 and 1221 Amor
    1221 Amor
    1221 Amor is the namesake of the Amor asteroids, a group of near-Earth asteroids whose orbits range between those of Earth and Mars. Amors are often Mars-crossers but they are not Earth-crossers....

     discovered 1932, the first being the Greek, and the second and third Latin renditions of the name of Eros, the god of love.
  • 1 Ceres
    1 Ceres
    Ceres, formally 1 Ceres, is the smallest identified dwarf planet in the Solar System and the only one in the asteroid belt. With a diameter of about 950 km, Ceres is by far the largest and most-massive asteroid, comprising about a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. Discovered on 1 January 1801...

    , discovered 1801 and 1108 Demeter
    1108 Demeter
    1108 Demeter is a main-belt asteroid orbiting the Sun. It was discovered by Karl Reinmuth in Heidelberg, Germany on May 31, 1929. Its provisional designation was 1929 KA. It was named after the Greek goddess of fruitful soil and agriculture....

    , discovered 1929. Demeter was also an unofficial name for Jupiter's moon Lysithea
    Lysithea (moon)
    Lysithea is a prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson in 1938 at Mount Wilson Observatory and is named after the mythological Lysithea, daughter of Oceanus and one of Zeus' lovers....

     1955-1975. Named for the goddess Demeter
    Demeter
    In Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains, the fertility of the earth, and the seasons . Her common surnames are Sito as the giver of food or corn/grain and Thesmophoros as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society...

    .
  • 2063 Bacchus
    2063 Bacchus
    The Apollo, Venus- and Mars-crosser asteroid 2063 Bacchus was discovered on April 24, 1977, by Charles T. Kowal at the Palomar Observatory. In March 1996 radar observations of the asteroid were conducted at the Goldstone Observatory under the direction of JPL scientists Steven Ostro and Lance...

    , discovered 1977 and 3671 Dionysus
    3671 Dionysus
    3671 Dionysus is a small binary Amor asteroid, orbiting between the Earth and the asteroid belt. It was discovered by Carolyn and Gene Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory on 27 May 1984. It is named after Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. Its provisional designation was 1984 KD...

    , discovered 1984, named for the god of wine.
  • 2155 Wodan
    2155 Wodan
    2155 Wodan is a main-belt asteroid discovered on September 24, 1960 by Cornelis Johannes van Houten, Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld and Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory.- External links :*...

    , discovered 1960 and 3989 Odin
    3989 Odin
    3989 Odin is a small main belt asteroid. It was discovered by Poul Jensen in 1986. It is named after Odin, the king of the gods in Norse mythology....

    , discovered 1986, variant names of the Germanic god Wodanaz
    Wodanaz
    or is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of a god of Germanic paganism, known as in Norse mythology, in Old English, or in Old High German and in Lombardic...

    .
  • 1143 Odysseus
    1143 Odysseus
    1143 Odysseus is a Jupiter Trojan asteroid that orbits in the Lagrangian point of the Sun-Jupiter system, in the "Greek Camp" of trojan asteroids. It was named after the Greek hero Odysseus Laertiades in Homer's epic poem The Odyssey. It was discovered by Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth in 1930.-External...

    , discovered 1930, and 5254 Ulysses
    5254 Ulysses
    5254 Ulysses is a Jupiter Trojan discovered on November 7, 1986 by E. W. Elst at Haute-Provence Observatory.- External links :*...

    , discovered 1986, named for the Greek warrior Odysseus
    Odysseus
    Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....

    .
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK