A plea for the Earth

[Catastrophe]

This may not be what it seems. It is a plea to please use the name of our planet correctly.
Some confusion may arise because Earth and earth are different entities.

First, a reminder about names of persons and places:
QUOTE
A proper noun is a specific (i.e., not generic) name for a particular person, place, or thing. Proper nouns are always capitalized in English, no matter where they fall in a sentence. Because they endow nouns with a specific name, they are also sometimes called proper names.
QUOTE (Google search "proper noun").

When we write the name of the other planets as follows,
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune - even dwarf planets like Pluto,
why is our own planet, so important to all of us, sometimes written earth?

Of course, earth has a meaning:
earth (with a small e) means he substance of the land surface; soil.
There is also a verb - an electrical term viz to earth.

Now this mistake is rife (try Google search) which does not help;

But please remember when you write the names of moons smaller than Earth, such as Titan, Triton, Ganymede, Calypso - even tiny moons like Deimos and Phobos - rarely are these written without capitals.

Note also our Moon is capitalised but, the general term meaning satellite is always written as moon. (Rarely would it be the first word of a sentence).

So please do not dishonour our home planet, and always remember to write Earth. Thank you.

Cat

 

[Wolfshadw]

So if Earth is made of earth, is Mars made of mars or earth?


-Wolf sends

 

[Catastrophe]

Technically earth. It is a different meaning as in to earth (verb) electrically.

Anyway, is not Mars (without checking) more sandy?

Cat

 

[Catastrophe]

Supplement:

Earth is not made of earth. You have the core, the mantle and a flimsy crust, correspondingly much thinner than an egg shell. earth (one case where it should be capitalised) is a part of crust composition like sand.

Come on. You know all this.

Cat

 

[Wolfshadw]

OK. If the is covered with earth, what is Mars covered with?

Anyway, is not Mars (without checking) more sandy?

Actually, I don't know, either. Given the lack of moisture, I would think so (sand/dust).

-Wolf sends

 

[sam85geo]

This sounds like a fun "Who Dat" thread. So since I rather sit here and type than do some actual work, let me join the fun by asking "How many Angels can dance on the head of a pin"? ..... or is it angels?

 

[Catastrophe]

There is an enormous amount of detail in Wiki Composition of Mars. Here is a tiny extract:

QUOTE
Mars is fundamentally an igneous planet. Rocks on the surface and in the crust consist predominantly of minerals that crystallize from magma. Most of our current knowledge about the mineral composition of Mars comes from spectroscopic data from orbiting spacecraft, in situ analyses of rocks and soils from six landing sites, and study of the Martian meteorites.[22]
QUOTE

Cat

 

[sam85geo]

I think of Earth in terms of endearment such as Mother Earth. Conversely, I think of Mars as a biker dude that's been hit over the head with a pool cue too many times; all of those silly epicycles and almost twice as long as Earth to orbit the Sun. Really!

 

[Catastrophe]

The epicycles were invented by people who thought all went round the Earth. The epicycles were false necessities to cover up the error.

Cat

 

[Helio]

Thanks Cat for the topic! I wish everyone on Earth were so "down-to-earth".

You know how I feel about the use of Sun and sun.

Mars is harsh, but it likely had regions of marsh.

 

[Ken Fabian]

Sounds like a problem with disrespecting capital letters and "correct" written English rather than disrespect for the planet we live on. Plenty of other kinds of (imo) more tangible disrespect for Earth of course.

 

[Helio]

Sounds like a problem with disrespecting capital letters and "correct" written English rather than disrespect for the planet we live on. Plenty of other kinds of (imo) more tangible disrespect for Earth of course.

True, there are far worse disrespectful behaviors against Earth. But the difference isn't of kind, but of degree. Why do people make the extra effort to learn to capitalize if not for at least some degree of respect for self and others?

Cat may have a little more interest in this than others.

 

[Catastrophe]

"True, there are far worse disrespectful behaviours against Earth."

Of course, but these would probably take a hundred threads.

Cat