What's in a name?

Question

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto. Planetary names have come from legends and myths (and, just maybe, personal experiences). What's up with letters /numbers - boring! Where's the compelling wonder in XYZ123? What name would you give to the next planet, and why?

Answer 1

Yes, naming planets that have a real name associated with it would be much more glamorous to us regular folks...lol.

But, it certainly would make it easier for indexing purposes. It would also be easier to associate things together. For example, it's easy for us to remember that Mercury, Mars, Earth, Venus, etc, belong to the same Solar system because we were taught and conditioned that way.

In the exploration of other stars and galaxies, it would be hard to remember that in the rest of the Milky Way, the Solar system that had 4 planets circling a star were named John, Bob, Sue and Heather. And that another Solar system with 7 planets in it were named Afro, Spike, Crew cut, Baldy, Flat Top, Mohawk, and Mullet.

Scientists had the foresight to realize that we will be mapping many stars and the planets that orbit them. So, a solar system may have been labeled ABC, and it's 4 orbiting planets were called ABC1, ABC2, ABC3, and ABC4. The next star may be ABD and the planets ABD1, ABD2, ABD3, ABD4, ABD5, ABD6, and ABD7.

So this type of naming and indexing would be much more efficient.

There was an astronomical observer who found a body just beyond Pluto and hailed that another planet was found. This caused the scientific community to reexamine how they define a planet. Ultimately demoting Pluto to a dwarf planet. During these deliberations, the discoverer temporarily named it Xena (yes, after the Princess Warrior) in the hopes that the scientific community would allow it to stick. After the announcement of Pluto getting booted, Xena was replaced by a sequential alphanumeric designation.

It lost it's sex-appeal but found it's way into serious scientific compendium. I personally preferred Xena...lol.

~jaz~

Answer 2

I knew a girl named Cambria in middle school. She was super sweet but kids would always tease her. I was constantly sticking up for her. She was never made fun of for her name from what I could remember... Mainly teased for what she wore. I could think of names a whole lot worse then Cambria, I think it's decent. Just nothing I'd seriously consider naming my children.

Answer 3

It all has to do with time and acceptance by your peers.

Let us say you discover a new planet all by yourself. No one has identified this planet before, so you have the opportunity to name it. And you decide to call it "Jennifer" after your little sister. Most likely you will be laughed out of any and all meetings with your press and various financial sponsors by choosing a common name like that. The Russions would never accept it. The Italians would go nuts. Etc., Etc., etc.

On the other hand...If you chose the next number in the book probably no one would say one word of criticism. So, most likely folks take the easy road to acceptance in the scientific community.

Answer 4

As far as "what's up" with the alphanumeric designations, I think it means that someone isn't creative enough to come up with a unique name for every planet or star that gets identified in astronomical surveys. Social scientists will undoubtedly bicker with natural scientists about this if it ever comes to their attention, but from a standpoint of expanding present knowledge, it makes more sense to systematize the naming. That way, we can use specific prefixes to indicate relative location, size, etc of a new discovery.
As far as naming another planet, it always has bothered me that Hera doesn't have a planet associated with her.

Answer 5

Seriously! I totally agree with you. Why give those old myths people credit when we found out that stars and planets existed?
I would give most credit to Stephen Hawking for his excellent work in everything about cosmology. I mean, he is so disabled and he does so much work for the community!! What more do you want people to do??
So I would name the next planet Hawking.

Answer 6

new planets name base on their character or on the inverter's name

Answer 7

esper, it's a short form of esperanza, which means hope. i just hope that human will be able to live on it.

Answer 8

i would call it e.t as in e.t phone home lol