Occasionally, the name Luna

Occasionally, the name Luna /ˈluːnə/ is used in scientific writing[23] 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.[24] Cynthia /ˈsɪnθiə/ is another poetic name, though rare, for the Moon personified as a goddess,[25] while Selene /səˈliːniː/ (literally “Moon”) is the Greek goddess of the Moon.

The usual English adjective pertaining to the Moon is “lunar”, derived from the Latin word for the Moon, lūna. The adjective selenian /səliːniən/,[26] derived from the Greek word for the Moon, σελήνη selēnē, and used to describe the Moon as a world rather than as an object in the sky, is rare,[27] while its cognate selenic was originally a rare synonym[28] but now nearly always refers to the chemical element selenium.[29] The Greek word for the Moon does however provide us with the prefix seleno-, as in selenography, the study of the physical features of the Moon, as well as the element name selenium.[30][31]

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.[32] These names – Luna, Cynthia and Selene – are reflected in technical terms for lunar orbits such as apolune, pericynthion and selenocentric.