WHAT'S in a name? A chance of cosmic immortality, if you get it right. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is asking "public and astronomy-interested organisations" to officially name 305 planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy.
While pondering ideas, history offers us a few lessons. Flash back to 1781: musician and amateur astronomer William Herschel was peering through a telescope in his garden in Bath, UK, when he spotted a curious object "either nebulous star, or perhaps a comet". It turned out Herschel's discovery was rather more significant – it was a new planet.
But what to call it? Herschel named it after the ruling King George III, one of the few British monarchs to have a deep interest in science. But he was swiftly overruled by the astronomical community. Planets had been traditionally named after mythological deities. Imagine: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, George, Neptune... it doesn't bear thinking about. Uranus – in mythology the father of Saturn – won. Sorry, George.
By the start of the 19th century, astronomers were uncovering dozens of asteroids and minor planets in the belt between Mars and Jupiter. For a while, tradition held – Ceres, Vesta, Pallas – but as the asteroid count grew, the myths ran out. They started calling the cosmic runts after mistresses and pets. Asteroid 2309 is named Mr Spock, not after the Star Trek character but the discoverer's cat. Horrified, the IAU banned names of pets and mistresses.
But strict rules still leave room for creative manoeuvres. In 1978, astronomer Jim Christy discovered a moon orbiting Pluto. His instinct was to name it after his wife Charlene (nicknamed Shar). But mythology had to prevail. He chose Charon ("Shar-on" in some astronomer circles), the ferryman who transported souls across the river Styx to Pluto's underworld.
Now groups keen on astronomy – clubs, planetariums, schools – have a chance to join the name game and christen a new world. The rules: 16 characters or fewer; inoffensive; pronounceable (in some language); and no names of living individuals or pets!
Good luck. It's a real gift of a chance. Just don't suggest Fido.
This article appeared in print under the headline "A gift from above"
Heather Couper is a UK astronomer and science populariser. Asteroid 3922 was named Heather after her in 1999
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