Planetary Maps: Visualization and Nomenclature

Abstract

Planetary maps are powerful tools for the visualization of the formerly unknown planetary surfaces. The appropriate use of visualization and nomenclature is essential for making planetary maps that can be used by both professionals and the general public. This article describes an international mapping project that has produced several maps of the terrestrial planets and the Moon. The maps were published separately, as educational wall maps, and also appeared together in a world atlas. To select the most effective visual tools and nomenclature, we conducted a map reader perception study at the Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary, which is discussed in detail. The second part of the article describes the current system of planetary nomenclature, highlighting some of its problems, with special attention to its localization for bi- or multilingual planetary maps.