Terra incognita refer to the hypothesized continent Terra Australis Incognita ("The unknown land of the South"), as seen in the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum map by Abraham Ortelius (1570). During the 19th century "terra incognita" disappeared from maps of the earth, since both the coastlines and the inner parts of the continents had been fully explored. But the bottoms of the seas remain mostly un-mapped, as do many other land surfaces in the solar system. The phrase is now also used metaphorically by various researchers to describe any unexplored subject or field of research. For more history of the terms, see Terra Australis,
Battle for Terra won the Grand Prize for Best Animated Feature at the 2008 Ottawa International Animation Festival. Mala (Evan Rachel Wood) and her friend Senn (Justin Long) are young alien creatures who live on Terra, a planet from a star system in the Milky Way. Terra is a peaceful planet of alien creatures who have a rich semi-advanced culture. One day a large, mysterious object blocks the Terrian sun, piquing the Terrians' interest. However, since the Terrian culture bans the development of new technologies, such as telescopes, without the approval of the ruling council, none of the inhabitants are able to get