Nix Olympica

Translingual

Etymology

Coined by Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli in 1879, who first observed the surface feature, from Latin nix (“snow”) and olympicus (“Olympic”), meaning “Olympic Snow, Snow of Olympus”, from the feature appearing whitish against the generally reddish planet.

Proper noun

Nix Olympica

1. (planetology, astronomy, historical) Former name of Olympus Mons. (19th c. — 20th c.) (an albedo feature on the planet Mars, now known to be the tallest mountain, but without a snowcap)
   • 1978, “Erbe des Tba”, in Perry Rhodan‎^[1], number 881 (in German):

     Der größte Krater war der Nix Olympica: viermal so hoch wie der Kilimandscharo, hatte er einen Durchmesser von achthundert Kilometern.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1984, Wolfgang Engelhardt, Planeten Monde Ringsysteme: Kamerasonden erforschen unser Sonnensystem (in German), page 129:

     Der Riesenvulkan Nix Olympica auf Mars wurde erst von Mariner 9 als solcher erkannt. […] Das auf dem Ausschnitt gekennzeichnete Telebild zeigt einen Teil des sehr rauhen Abhangs von Nix Olympica, hier ist ein Gebiet von 43 × 55 km erfaßt.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2004, Jeffrey S. Kargel, Mars - A Warmer, Wetter Planet (in English), page 48:

     […] Nix Olympica had been known to Earth-bound astronomers since Schiaparelli in 1879. […] The improved coverage of Nix Olympica by Mariner 7 showed a concentric ring-like surface structure. By the time Mariner 9 approached Mars, Nix Olympica had already been reinterpreted as a gigantic impact crater […]