Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for April 04, 2024

Janis makes a point. The question Arlo should ask is who was Gerald.

The usual English proper name for Earth’s natural satellite is simply Moon, with a capital M. The noun moon is derived from Old English mōna, which (like all its Germanic cognates) stems from Proto-Germanic *mēnōn, which in turn comes from Proto-Indo-European *mēnsis “month” (from earlier *mēnōt, genitive *mēneses) which may be related to the verb “measure” (of time).

Occasionally, the name Luna /ˈluːnə/ is used in scientific writing and especially in science fiction to distinguish the Earth’s moon from others, while in poetry “Luna” has been used to denote personification of the Moon. Cynthia /ˈsɪnθiə/ is another poetic name, though rare, for the Moon personified as a goddess, while Selene /səˈliːniː/ (literally “Moon”) is the Greek goddess of the Moon.

The English adjective pertaining to the Moon is “lunar”, derived from the Latin word for the Moon, lūna. Selenian /səliːniən/ is an adjective used to describe the Moon as a world, rather than as a celestial object, but its use is rare. It is derived from σελήνη selēnē, the Greek word for the Moon, and its cognate selenic was originally a rare synonym but now nearly always refers to the chemical element selenium. The element name selenium and the prefix seleno- (as in selenography, the study of the physical features of the Moon) come from this Greek word.

The Greek goddess of the wilderness and the hunt, Artemis, equated with the Roman Diana, one of whose symbols was the Moon and who was often regarded as the goddess of the Moon, was also called Cynthia, from her legendary birthplace on Mount Cynthus. These names – Luna, Cynthia and Selene – are reflected in technical terms for lunar orbits such as apolune, pericynthion and selenocentric.

“…bright orange ball rises thru the treetops…” So, The Great Pumpkin ??

As a “Gerald”, it would give me a good excuse to moon people.

Yes, it would take some getting used to.

The Sun already has a name, it is Sol. In fact, in a lot of science fiction, our solar system is called the Sol System.

Renfrew.

I’m very familiar with the Moon. May I call it Jerry?

Well, we are standing on Planet Bob, so naming the moon Gerald just makes sense.

How about Orbis – meaning disc, plus it sounds like orbit.

When Gerald hits your eyeLike a big-a pizza pieThat’s amore

‘Gerald-Light Serenade’, ‘Gerald over Miami’, Gerald-lighting……

How about “Debby?”

It has a name, Luna.

Could go with Daphne, if you’re a fan of Frasier.

Gerald is a silly name for the Moon. But on the other hand, I could get behind Gerard.

Does any country have a name for the moon? ‘Several in fact. Arabic calls the moon “Merenda” (hence the girl’s name “Miranda”). Malay calls it “Bulan”. The moon’s name – in the West’s ancient and venerable planetary naming system – is “Selene”.’ I do like Miranda or Selene. :-) From the Guardian BTW, I think Cynthia is cool too.

Selene

This is what happens when people have known each other so long that they run out of things to talk about

Frank Zappa named one of his kids Moon

Moonie McMoonface.

Blue Gerald, you saw me standing aloneWithout a dream in my heartWithout a love of my ownBlue Gerald, you knew just what I was there forYou heard me saying a prayer forSomeone I really could care for…

I see bad Gerald a-risin’I see trouble on the wayI see earthquakes and lightnin’I see bad times todayDon’t go around tonightWell it’s bound to take your lifeThere’s bad Gerald on the rise…

Could we switch the conversation to Sol – sun for a while?

“Hillary” sounds good to me.

With a Tip-o-the-cap to Tom Cullen, in Stephen King’s “The Stand”:

“M-O-O-N, that spells Gerald…”

Earth is Terra. The Moon is Luna. And because people go nuts during the full moon, this gave us the term “lunatic”. But the more important question is this: If Popeye the Sailor drops his drawers and waggles his hind end at passersby, does this make him Sailor Moon?

I can’t see Sting singing, ♪♫ “There’s a Gerald over Bourbon Street toniiight…” ♫♪

George.

Thank you, Yakety Sax!

“When Gerald hits your eye, like a big Pizza pie, that’s amore..” …. Needs work.

Ours is the King of Moons!

Moon Mullins’ Snappy Cab Service.

“Cold-hearted orb that rules the night, robs the colors from our sight…”

I really hope that someone has informed Mr Johnson about the moon’s name, or that he is doing a story about Arlo & Janis’s discovery of the moon’s name.

How about “Mullins”?

“….Especially if someone named Gerald was already known to be a Peeping Tom.”

It is a proper noun spelled “Moon” with a capital “M”. The common noun “moon” refers to other natural satellites. The same usage goes for Earth. Capitalized it is our planet. Lower case it refers to Earth-like planets – as in, “astronomers are searching for earths among the exoplanets”.

Does not need a new name, thank you.

The sun doesn’t have a name either

Arlo, there are many names for, or having to do with the Moon,all female because of the monthly cycle. You should know better, walking book of knowledge that you are.

As others smarter than me have noted, the moon does have a name: Luna.

Nice artwork today Jimmy.

I really enjoyed the Mythology lesson, never too old or too smart to learn something from each other. Thank you.

Oh, and seriously what happened in that second panel??, I am going with someone skipped the coloring overlay!!

Arlo would throughly appreciate your treatise!