Technical name for the moon is Irene

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The discussion centers around the misconception that the technical name for the moon is "Irene," with participants clarifying that the widely accepted names are "Luna" in Latin and "Selene" in Greek. While "Irene" is noted to mean peace in Greek, it is not recognized by astronomers as the official name for Earth's moon. The majority of contributors agree that "Luna" is the correct term, with a humorous acknowledgment of the confusion surrounding the name. The conversation highlights the importance of accurate terminology in astronomy. Overall, the consensus is that "Irene" is not an official name for the moon.
numberPI
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Hi, I am new to physicsforums.com
I was just discussing with a friend that says that the real or technical name for the moon is Irene. I don't really know any about this ... can anyone help?
 
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uhh.. I thought it was Luna..?
 
yeah, Luna is moon in spanish, but my friend argues the technical name for the moon is Irene.
 
Take a look at this site:
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/space_mailbag_moon_030725-1.html

"Quite a few readers were somewhat taken aback by the whole suggestion that the Moon needs a name. It's "Luna," they state flatly, and always has been. In our very unofficial count, Luna beat Moon by nearly 2:1"

Sounds like the jury's still out!
 
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numberPI said:
yeah, Luna is moon in spanish, but my friend argues the technical name for the moon is Irene.

Irene comes from the greek word for peace, IIRC.

It is not the technical name for the Earth's moon. that is, astronomers do not use the name Irene for the Earth's moon.

However your friend has a perfect right to call the moon Irene and i like this name for it very much---please relay compliments and congratulations on such an excellent naming of the moon.


Luna is the Latin word for the moon. Just as Terra is the Latin for Earth.
Selene is Greek for moon.
Maybe he was thinking of Selene and accidentally said Irene.
 
ohhh ok! thanks marcus and math is hard for your help!
 

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