# Does our Sun have a name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 5, 2006, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186 "2006-03-05T22:38:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bubastis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bubastis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubastis)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2006, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/1 "2006-03-05T22:38:38Z")
Or is it just “The Sun”? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2006, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/2 "2006-03-05T22:40:35Z")
Sol. ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2006, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/3 "2006-03-05T22:40:39Z")
[Sol](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol) ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2006, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/4 "2006-03-05T22:57:39Z")
And our moon is called Luna. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/5 "2006-03-05T23:47:22Z")
I call it Jim-Bob the Gasbag. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/6 "2006-03-06T00:29:44Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Sol. That’s funny, it doesn’t _look_ Jewish. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/7 "2006-03-06T01:19:13Z")
Astronomers usually call it “the Sun”. Science fiction writers call it “Sol”. ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/8 "2006-03-06T01:33:51Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Astronomers usually call it “the Sun”. Science fiction writers call it “Sol”. I had heard Sol, and Luna, in scientific discussions and is where **Sol** ar and **Luna** r terms originate ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/9 "2006-03-06T01:45:44Z")
> [@Nic2004](#): > > I had heard Sol, and Luna, in scientific discussions and is where **Sol** ar and **Luna** r terms originate In which field of science? I’m a solar physicist and I’ve never heard a colleague refer to the Sun as **Sol**. Of course **solar** and **lunar** are different - they are legitimate and common scientific terms. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/10 "2006-03-06T01:47:53Z")
(Canadian joke) Now, here’s the complete sketch again. (/Canadian joke) ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/11 "2006-03-06T02:21:05Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > In which field of science? I’m a solar physicist and I’ve never heard a colleague refer to the Sun as **Sol**. > > Of course **solar** and **lunar** are different - they are legitimate and common scientific terms. Seems curious. I understand that there are solar winds, solar eclipes, solar radiation…but no Sol? The American Heritage Dictionary says: \*\*Sol Dictionary Sol (sŏl, sōl) n. The sun. [Middle English, from Latin sōl.]\*\* Perhaps we should change the terms to Sun-lar winds, etc. Any idea why the coincidence in Sol and solar without any real connection? Not being snarky, just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/12 "2006-03-06T03:06:18Z")
Sol was the god of the sun in Roman mythology (Helios in Greek mythology). ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/13 "2006-03-06T03:07:38Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Sol was the god of the sun in Roman mythology (Helios in Greek mythology). Perhaps it would be better to say “Sun God” rather than god of the sun…whatever works for you. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/14 "2006-03-06T03:09:47Z")
Amaterasu ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/15 "2006-03-06T04:09:30Z")
> [@Nic2004](#): > > Seems curious. I understand that there are solar winds, solar eclipes, solar radiation…but no Sol? The American Heritage Dictionary says… I’m not saying such a word does not exist. I’m just saying it’s not generally used by scientists, at least those scientists who study the Sun. > [@](#): > > Perhaps we should change the terms to Sun-lar winds, etc. There are many other cases where the adjective is derived from latin, but the root word is not commonly used in English. For example, we have _teeth_ but when we get them examined, that’s a _dental_ exam. _Dental_ is derived from the latin word _dens_. Should we start taking _toothal exams_ instead? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/16 "2006-03-06T06:32:11Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > That’s funny, it doesn’t _look_ Jewish. So what are you saying, that the sun has foreskin? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/17 "2006-03-06T07:36:54Z")
The Aten ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/18 "2006-03-06T12:48:41Z")
Bud. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/19 "2006-03-06T12:54:28Z")
And the Earth is of course Terra. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186/20 "2006-03-06T13:17:25Z")
Names of newly discovered astronomical objects are officially designated by the I.A.U. (which if memory serves me stands for International Astronomic Union), taking into account the wishes of the discoverer. By longstanding tradition, those objects in the Solar System which have been known since time immemorial are customarily known by the vernacular term for them in the language in which the writer is writing of them. During the first half of the 20th Century, the custom was to use the Latin name as the “standard” designation, with adjectives formed from either Latin or Greek usage. Hence Venus, Saturn, etc. but selenology and areology for “lunar geology” and “Martian geology” respectively. In keeping with this, sun, moon, and earth were Sol, Luna, and Terra respectively. The use of those terms in classic science fiction derives from that standard. There is nothing “official” about such uses, for or against them. Presumably if in a future time a human society stable enough to publish writings is founded on the terrestrial planet of another star, the classic usage of Sol = the sun of our native planet will come into use to distinguish it from “the Sun” = the bright disc-like object illuminating that planet, known officially as Alpha Centauri A or Tau Ceti or whatever. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-our-sun-have-a-name/347186.md?page=2)