‘The moon’ Verses ‘The Moon’

Following on from my post Does our Moon have a Name?, today I’m delving into whether or nor we should capitalise the word, Moon.

Personally, I’ve always believed it should be when referring to the heavenly body that orbits our planet because, in this context, the word Moon is a proper noun.

I remember learning all about common and proper nouns in primary school.  A common noun is the name of a particular person, place, organisation, or thing, and a proper noun is a name given to something to make it more specific.  Common nouns are only capitalised if they start a sentence.  Proper nouns are always capitalised.

For example, the word planet is a common noun and not capitalised, while Jupiter, the name of a planet, is a proper noun and is capitalised.  Basic stuff I know, but an important rule to remember when talking about the Moon.

As it turns out, I’m not the only one who thinks this way.

I found the following in the Style Guide for NASA History Authors and Editors:

Capitalize “Moon” when referring to Earth’s Moon; otherwise, lowercase “moon” (e.g., “The Moon orbits Earth,” “Jupiter’s moons”).

I will always subscribe to the notion that when we refer to our Moon, being the first to be named thus, it deserves the respect of a capital M.

– ⋅ o ♥ o ⋅ –

Here’s what that gorgeous heavenly body looked like this morning.

I love it when I can just get out of bed, point my camera skyward, and click.

– ⋅ o ♥ o ⋅ –

This is my next entry in my Blue Moon Squares as part of Becky’s ‘Blue’ Square in July photo challenge.