<p>A <a href="https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=mercury%20crater%20names" rel="nofollow noreferrer">quick search</a> returns that wikipedia has an extensive list how different things are named on various celestial bodies.</p>
<p>For <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_nomenclature#Mercury" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Mercury</a>'s craters it quotes &quot;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_craters_on_Mercury" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Famous deceased artists, musicians, painters, authors</a>&quot;. As source of its wisdom it gives the IAU working group on <a href="https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/SearchResults?target=MERCURY&amp;featureType=Crater,%20craters" rel="nofollow noreferrer">planetary system nomenclature</a> as authoritive source for them - the source which decides on official naming.</p>

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2021-02-08T14:52:43.747Z
2021-02-08T14:52:43.747Z
planetmaker
<p>The two largest craters on Mercury are names Caloris (meaning &quot;hot&quot;) and Rembrandt (for the painter). So there doesn't seem to be a pattern.</p>
<p>By convention, craters on Mars are named for people who studied the planet (like Cassini) or wrote about it (like Bradbury).</p>
<p>Is there a similar naming convention for the craters at the surface of Mercury?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-08T19:37:22.880Z
Just a note that your second paragraph is incorrect via incomplete information: Only craters >50 km fit into the naming scheme you wrote.  Smaller craters on Mars are named after small towns and villages. https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/Categories .  That page also gives the themes for all features on all bodies for which a system has been established, including Mercury craters.
Stuart Robbins
<mercury><naming><crater>
What is the naming convention for craters on Mercury?
usernumber
# What is the naming convention for craters on Mercury?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-02-08)

The two largest craters on Mercury are names Caloris (meaning "hot") and Rembrandt (for the painter). So there doesn't seem to be a pattern.

By convention, craters on Mars are named for people who studied the planet (like Cassini) or wrote about it (like Bradbury).

Is there a similar naming convention for the craters at the surface of Mercury?

**Tags:** mercury, naming, crater

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Just a note that your second paragraph is incorrect via incomplete information: Only craters >50 km fit into the naming scheme you wrote.  Smaller craters on Mars are named after small towns and villages. https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/Categories .  That page also gives the themes for all features on all bodies for which a system has been established, including Mercury craters.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-02-08. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

A [quick search](https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=mercury%20crater%20names) returns that wikipedia has an extensive list how different things are named on various celestial bodies.

For [Mercury](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_nomenclature#Mercury)'s craters it quotes "[Famous deceased artists, musicians, painters, authors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_craters_on_Mercury)". As source of its wisdom it gives the IAU working group on [planetary system nomenclature](https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/SearchResults?target=MERCURY&featureType=Crater,%20craters) as authoritive source for them - the source which decides on official naming.


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