Re: Sun or the Sun? Moon or the Moon?

[Leigh Palmer <palmer@sfu.ca>]

> Earth is the name of our planet.
> Luna is the name of Earth's moon.  The moon is dead.  Luna is cold.
> Sol is the name of Earth's sun.  The sun is hot.  Sol is a star.

Such is common parlance among science fiction fans. Consultation
with an astronomer will usually meet with different conventions,
as will interviews with the man in the street. I'm sure that
somewhere in LA there is a nice couple called Sol and Luna, but
they won't be found in many astronomy textbooks. Earth and Moon
will be found in many. The Earth is my planet; earth is soil on
my planet. The Moon is my planet's satellite. Some other planets
have moons. The Galaxy is my galaxy, but there are many others.

In English use of the definite article is often optional. I am
not usually uncomfortable with variations. I do find the strange
"Luna" and "Sol" to be unnecessary synonyms, and I think in some
cases they might be less immediately understood than "Sun" and
"Moon".

Why fix what ain't broke?

Leigh