IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Feature Names from 1919 to Present

International Astronomical Union-approved names for all topographic and albedo features on planets and satellites since 1919. This gazetteer provides detailed information for uniquely identifying and discussing surface features across the solar system. The data is maintained by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Mapping planetary surfaces based on IAU-approved feature names.
• Analyzing the distribution and history of feature naming conventions across different celestial bodies.
• Training or validating machine learning models for automated feature identification in planetary imagery based on official nomenclature.

Strengths

• Authority derived from the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the official body for planetary nomenclature.
• Temporal coverage spans over a century, from the IAU's founding in 1919 through the present.
• Scope includes named features on planets, satellites, and some ring systems.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Curated and approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Time Range

1919 to present

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 20:20:39.418199; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Features on planets, satellites, and ring systems in the solar system.