The Atlantic Ocean was named after Atlas, who holds up the sky in Greek mythology, while the Pacific Ocean was named by Ferdinand Magellan.

Just as landmasses have been divided into distinct nations, the world ocean has been divided into multiple oceans for various geographical, practical, and scientific reasons.

With the exception of Earth, the planets are named after Roman gods and goddesses

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are named after the messenger of the gods, the goddess of love, the god of war, the king of gods, the god of agriculture, the god of the sky, and the god of the sea, respectively. "Earth" comes from Old English and Germanic words meaning "ground."

How did Polynesian wayfinders navigate the Pacific Ocean?

Ancient Polynesian navigators used the sun, moon, stars, clouds, currents, and more to sail the seas. People of Southeast Asia began their voyages to the region now known as Polynesia in roughly 1500 BCE. They would settle a vast area of 15 million square miles, including hundreds of islands, moving from islands due to overpopulation or war. Such voyages dwindled in 1300 CE as societies became more rooted.

The scientific name for northern lights came from two Greco-Roman gods

Although cave paintings may have depicted them millennia earlier, one of the oldest known references to auroras is a Babylonian cuneiform tablet from about 600 BCE. In 1619, Galileo Galilei named the phenomenon in the northern hemisphere "aurora borealis" after the Roman goddess of dawn—Aurora—and the Greek god of the north wind—Boreas.

Mapping the route options between the Pacific and Atlantic

This map shows some of the alternative trade route options that are available to shipping companies, from overland routes that rely on railways to transport goods coast-to-coast, to Arctic Ocean passages.

Tropical cyclones are called hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones around the world

Tropical cyclones are named differently based on their region of origin due to historical traditions and cultural importance. These storms are called hurricanes in the Atlantic and northeast Pacific oceans, cyclones in the southwest Pacific and Indian oceans, and typhoons in the northwest Pacific Ocean.

As of 2026, 14 of Neptune's 16 moons have been named for mythological figures, with Triton, the largest of them, orbiting backward, or in retrograde.

The Southern Ocean features the Antarctic Circumpolar Current—the largest ocean current on Earth—which encircles Antarctica and creates a unique biogeographical zone.

American oceanographic cartographer Marie Tharp's discovery of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which supported the idea that continents move over time, was initially dismissed as 'girl talk.'

Where did the term ‘astronaut’ come from?

Astronaut essentially translates to space sailor, though these sailors may be referred to differently depending on their home country. For example, Russian star sailors are called cosmonauts. Though why American, European, Canadian, and Japanese...

Although an estimated 99.999% of the deep ocean has not been explored, techniques such as sonar have been used to identify the deepest known point in each of Earth's five oceans.

In honor of scientific exploration, all five launched space shuttles were named after ships that traveled the oceans, but a campaign from 'Star Trek' fans led to the shuttle prototype being named Enterprise.

Who was Ferdinand Magellan, and what did he do?

Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan left Spain on a trip to gather spices and circumnavigate the globe with five ships, more than 250 men, outdated maps, and a profound misunderstanding of the Pacific Ocean's width. Hear from a historian on...

A simple pictorial explanation of ocean geography

Visualizing ocean geographical features, such as a coastal zone, continental shelf and abyssal plain. This article from the US Geological Survey also provides several links to diverse ocean facts.

How the months of the year got named

Curious about how the months got their names? This article from The Old Farmer's Almanac explores the origins of today’s Gregorian calendar. Based on the ancient Roman lunar calendar, the months were named after Roman gods until winter when the names changed to numerical titles. Read along to learn the significance and intentions behind labeling each lunar cycle.

The names of the 12 months are (mostly) derived from the Romans

January is named after two-faced Janus, February stems from a festival known as Februa, March comes from the god of war, Mars, and so on. Learn the origins and see ancient statues or art for the inspiration for each name of the month.

Explore how 10,000 different American cities got their name.

Earth's oceans do mix, despite viral images and videos claiming to show boundaries between oceans that waters do not cross.

What's the difference between an ocean, sea, and saltwater lake?

What are the seven seas, the five oceans, and why isn't the Dead Sea considered a sea? This overview provides definitions for each.

El Niño, Spanish for 'the boy,' was named after Jesus Christ because the phenomenon resembled the weather changes observed around Christmastime.

Dinosaur names have shifted from ancient languages to pop culture references

Early dinosaur names used Greek and Latin roots, often just attaching “-saurus” (lizard) to another word describing a notable trait. Over time, this convention has evolved to incorporate the names of where the discovery was made, local languages, and even celebrities.

The US Board on Geographic Names is responsible for ensuring uniform usage of geographic names within the government.

Every tropical storm is named from one of six predetermined lists maintained by the World Meteorological Organization.

Elephant bones likely inspired the cyclops character that appears in 'The Odyssey.'

View a map of the distribution of mineral resources on the seafloor

Polymetallic nodules are found in regions near the middle of the Pacific Ocean, along the eastern coast of South America, and along the western coast of Africa, while cobalt-rich crusts span significant portions of the Pacific tropics east of the Philippines. Polymetallic sulfide deposits occur at tectonic plate boundaries, including areas within national jurisdictions.

Astronomers inferred Neptune's existence through mathematics while attempting to explain irregularities in Uranus' orbit, but Neptune had been directly observed 234 years earlier by Galileo.

The missing continent that took 375 years to find

It took scientists 375 years to discover the eighth continent of the world, which had been hiding in plain sight all along. But mysteries still remain.

From the Greek for 'star taker,' the astrolabe allowed individuals to tell time and determine their latitude based on the position of the sun or other stars, as well as calculate the height of objects.

How muscles get their names

There are more than 600 muscles that crisscross the human body, and each has a name that's more than a simple label. Muscle names also typically communicate the muscle's size, behavior, length, location, appearance, direction, and attachments to bone. These names usually have Greek or Latin roots, such as in the case of the deltoid muscles, which are named in reference to the Greek letter delta (𐤃).

Surface ocean currents are primarily driven by wind, tides, and Earth's rotation, while deep-ocean currents are driven by differences in temperature and salt concentration.

Collections of stars like the Big Dipper are not constellations because they are not among the 88 groups of stars designated as such by the International Astronomical Union.

Mapping the shifts in ancient Greek territories

The jagged coastlines and many islands of the eastern Mediterranean peninsulas cultivated a seafaring civilization, which helped the Greeks colonize and trade in the Middle East, North Africa, and the rest of Europe. See the evolution of their territory with this quick animated map video.

The Greeks named their dogs with short names similar to modern ones.

Explore a detailed map of Odysseus' fictional journey from 'The Odyssey.'

A comprehensive guide to the gods

History is filled with the power and mystique of gods, from the epicly bearded Greek boss Zeus to Hoori, the Japanese god of hunting. Check out this database of over 4,000 of the world's deities, from Norse mythology to the gods of Polynesia, and click through for explainers and facts. Peruse specific pantheons (a single culture's collection of gods) or look for the god of a specific attribute, place, or emotion. Dive in here.

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is Earth's most powerful ocean current and carries more than 100 times the combined flow of all Earth's rivers.

Scientists determined that tectonic plates moved the ocean floor by observing symmetric patterns of magnetic stripes on opposite sides of underwater volcano systems, which could only result from seafloor spreading.

Watch a visualization of global ocean currents from NASA's Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean project.

How salt, sunlight, and wind drive ocean currents

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation plays a critical role in regulating earth's climate, but is threatened by climate change. Explore the effects of temperature, density, and salinity on ocean currents in this 13-minute PBS video.

The theory of plate tectonics first emerged from the theory of continental drift

German meteorologist Alfred Wegener proposed that the continents were all one giant landmass in the past, which he named Pangaea. Despite geological and climate evidence suggesting continental movement, his theory was dismissed until the 1960s.

Ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus created accurate maps of the night sky way ahead of his time, with coordinates sometimes within a single degree of modern values.

Around 380 underwater cables power the Internet across the world.

On July 29, 1858, two steam-powered battleships met in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There, they connected two ends of a 4,000 kilometer (2,500 mile) long, 1.5 centimeter (0.6 inch) wide cable, linking for the first time the European and North American continents by telegraph.

What animals live in the ocean?

The oceans host an incredible diversity of fascinating species. Oceana's Marine Life Encyclopedia beautifully presents facts and photos of ocean animals from Atlantic Cod to Zebra Sharks.

Sailor tattoos represent naval milestones

Sailors often come home with mermaids or turtles adorning their bodies. But what does it mean to have permanent images of propellers on your bum, British galleons with soaring tiers of sails on your chest, or a bicep portrait of the Roman god Neptune? Those tattoos represent meaningful naval milestones.

The century of the Panama Canal

The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through a 51-mile route that transformed global shipping when it opened in 1914. This breakdown covers how it was built, the workers behind its construction, and why its future may be challenged by climate and competition.

Four astronomical discoveries from ancient Greece

Modern astronomy relies on making discoveries without being present on the planets, stars, galaxies, and other objects studied. Imagine the difficulty the ancient Greeks had studying them without computers and telescopes. Yet somehow they calculated precise measurements of planetary distances, sizes, and more. Read this page to learn more about early triumphs in astronomical science.

Learn about various ocean-atmosphere cycles impacting global weather patterns

Although the El Niño-Southern Oscillation is among the most impactful, the North Atlantic Oscillation strongly influences weather patterns in the Northeast US by periodically changing atmospheric pressure over the Atlantic. The North Pacific Oscillation fluctuates atmospheric pressure and sea-surface temperatures that affect winter temperatures over much of the US.

Remnants of another planet that helped form the moon may be beneath Earth's surface

Large mantle structures beneath Africa and the Pacific Ocean may be the buried remains of Thea, a large Mars-sized planet that collided with Earth. The theory is supported by isotopic evidence from volcanic and lunar rocks.

Explore interactive maps from fictional journeys, including 'The Odyssey,' 'Moby-Dick,' and more.

The Ring of Fire, which spans 40,000 kilometers (24,900 miles) around the Pacific Ocean, is the most geologically active region on Earth.