Naming of moons

The naming of moons has been the responsibility of the <a href="/facts/International_Astronomical_Union/GMFPImXo">International Astronomical Union</a>'s committee for Planetary System Nomenclature since 1973. That committee is known today as the <a href="/facts/Planetary_nomenclature/KdwBzXJM">Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature</a> (WGPSN).
Prior to its formation, the names of <a href="/facts/Natural_satellite/AE4KQKbq">satellites</a> have had varying histories. The choice of names is often determined by a satellite's discoverer; however, historically some satellites were not given names for many years after their discovery; for instance, <a href="/facts/Titan_(moon)/lg0l9PCH">Titan</a> was discovered by <a href="/facts/Christiaan_Huygens/GtBqoBVm">Huygens</a> in 1655, but was not named until 1847, almost two centuries later.
Before the IAU assumed responsibility for astronomical nomenclature, only twenty-five satellites had been given names that were in wide use and are still used: 1 of Earth, 2 of Mars, 5 of Jupiter, 10 of Saturn, 5 of Uranus, and 2 of Neptune. Since then, names have been given to 137 additional planetary and dwarf planetary satellites: 52 satellites of <a href="/facts/Jupiter/95m7XjMT">Jupiter</a>, 53 of <a href="/facts/Saturn/D54LcGJ9">Saturn</a>, 22 of <a href="/facts/Uranus/x7YwT1ar">Uranus</a>, 12 of <a href="/facts/Neptune/1eucwHIC">Neptune</a>, 5 of <a href="/facts/Pluto/egq7MBeR">Pluto</a>, 2 of <a href="/facts/Haumea_(dwarf_planet)/C1xJDm3B">Haumea</a>, and 1 each of <a href="/facts/Eris_(dwarf_planet)/vuaR65F7">Eris</a>, <a href="/facts/Gonggong_(dwarf_planet)/rw0CUIPQ">Gonggong</a>, <a href="/facts/Quaoar/Yweth54G">Quaoar</a>, and <a href="/facts/Orcus_(dwarf_planet)/PbDdmqbd">Orcus</a>. Names have also been given to some satellites of minor planets, including the dwarf planet candidates <a href="/facts/120347_Salacia/1bjK6Q6u">Salacia</a> and <a href="/facts/174567_Varda/g8zBe8zx">Varda</a> which have one satellite each. The number will continue to rise as current satellite discoveries are documented and new satellites are discovered.
At the IAU General Assembly in July 2004, the WGPSN suggested it may become advisable to not name small satellites, as <a href="/facts/Charge-coupled_device/l6xffIcz">CCD</a> technology makes it possible to discover satellites as small as 1 km in diameter. Until 2014, names were applied to all planetary moons discovered, regardless of size. From 2015, some small moons have not received names.

Naming of moons open-in-new

Naming of moons