page_title: Planetary nomenclature
section_title: Mercury
hierarchical_section_title: Planetary nomenclature / Categories for naming features on planets and satellites / Mercury
caption_attribution_description: English: Mariner 10 photomosaic of the Kuiper quadrangle of Mercury
context_page_description: Planetary nomenclature, like terrestrial nomenclature, is a system of uniquely identifying features on the surface of a planet or natural satellite so that the features can be easily located, described, and discussed. Since the invention of the telescope, astronomers have given names to the surface features they have discerned, especially on the Moon and Mars. To standardize planetary nomenclature, the International Astronomical Union was assigned in 1919 the task of selecting official names for features on Solar System bodies.
caption: Examples of Mercurian nomenclature from the Kuiper quadrangle.
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