terra

Terra is a Latin word meaning "Earth" and is used in various languages and fields as a reference to the planet, to terrestrial phenomena, or to the Earth as a goddess in mythology. In Roman religion, Terra or Tellus is the earth goddess, a personification of the planet’s fertility and agricultural abundance, sometimes identified with Gaia of Greek tradition. Festivals and rites honored Terra as a nurturing mother and provider of crops.

In science and exploration, Terra signifies Earth itself and is used in naming and terminology. Notably, Terra is the name of NASA’s Terra spacecraft, an Earth Observing System satellite launched in 1999 and designed to study the global environment. It carries several instruments, including the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR), the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) radiometer, and the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT). Terra provides data on land, oceans, atmosphere, and aerosols, supporting climate, weather, and environmental research.

In modern usage, Terra appears in place names and fiction, and as a generic term for Earth in many languages. The adjective terran is used in science fiction to describe humans or Earth-like beings.

See also: Terra (disambiguation).