This paper examines John Herschel’s role in establishing nomenclature for the moons of the outer solar system. Prior to the publication of Herschel’s Cape Results in 1847, moons of the solar system were referred to either collectively (e.g. the Medicean stars) or by number. The common narrative is that with the discovery of additional moons around Saturn, this numbering convention became confused, causing Herschel to propose proper names for Saturn’s moons in his Cape Results. An examination of Herschel’s correspondence and journals, however, indicates that this new convention was likely motivated not by issues of clarity but by controversy in planetary naming brought about by the discovery of Neptune. Herschel offered mythological names for Saturn’s satellites as a way to resolve this controversy, which he had helped initiate. This new naming narrative highlights Herschel’s role as arbiter in the international astronomical community as well as the cultural and political background of naming conventions in the solar system.

中文翻译：

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“混淆的刮擦”：约翰赫歇尔，海王星，并命名外太阳系的卫星

本文考察了约翰赫歇尔在为外太阳系卫星建立命名法方面的作用。在 1847 年赫歇尔的开普结果发表之前，太阳系的卫星被统称为统称（例如美第斯星）或以数量来称呼。普遍的说法是，随着土星周围发现更多卫星，这种编号惯例变得混乱，导致赫歇尔在他的开普结果中提出土星卫星的专有名称。然而，对赫歇尔的信件和期刊的检查表明，这一新公约可能不是出于清晰度问题，而是由于海王星的发现带来的行星命名争议。赫歇尔为土星的卫星提供了神话般的名字，以解决他帮助发起的这场争议。