Astronomy naming standards...

[Boerseun]

So they found a couple o' new balls of green cheese orbiting Pluto.

 

And they don't have names for it yet.

 

All the pre-telescope planets, the planets known to the ancients and the planets that made up the first astrology tables (wrongly, of course, but that's besides the point) have names of mythical figures and Roman gods. In the West, at least - in the East they've obviously got their own names for Venus, Jupiter, etc. Planets and objects discovered afterwards through telescopes have been assigned names close to the original theme of mythology and classical gods - like the myriad moons of Jupiter and Saturn. One notable exeption is Pluto, that was named after Percival Lowell, who predicted it to be there 'somewhere' based on Uranus' orbit wobble. After finding it, homage was paid to Lowell in naming the planet after him. Pretty cool, but the flavour of the word 'Pluto' is still close to the mythology theme.

 

Problem is - there are only so many characters in ancient literature! The convention of assigning numbers to galactic objects like NSG1101-A is fine, but calling objects in our own Solar system by a number is, well, wrong. I think. It's a little too close to home to have a bunch of anonymous stuff flying through space with only a number to tag it! Even asteroids in our solar system go by mythical names, like Toutatis, an ancient gallic god (like all Asterix fans will tell you!)

 

So, okay - there are literally billions of objects in our solar system alone, if we keep the asteroid belt and Oort cloud in mind. Shouldn't we at least have some sort of consistent naming convention, so that when we run into a new moon (like Pluto's) we're not stumped for names?

 

Any ideas?

[InfiniteNow]

Name the astronomy objects after sex toys. That'd change the dialogue between a dad and his kids substantially...

 

 

That's the Benoit ball system

That's the Anal beads galaxy

Over in that direction is the cock ring

And look, that's the greatest moon of them all... nipple clamps.

 

 

:)

 

 

Think the censors would allow it? ;)

[Racoon]

Name the astronomy objects after sex toys. That'd change the dialogue between a dad and his kids substantially...

 

 

That's the Benoit ball system

That's the Anal beads galaxy

Over in that direction is the cock ring

And look, that's the greatest moon of them all... nipple clamps.

 

 

:lol:

 

 

Think the censors would allow it? :)

 

Yeah Honey!

I went to "Star Registery" for Valentines Day and named a Star after you! ;) :edizzy:

{response} "Oh how romantic!"

 

That star out there is "Sharon Peters"

:esmoking: :esmoking:

[Drip Curl Magic]

I named my hookah after two celestial bodies in our solar system:)

[InfiniteNow]

Kidding aside, it wouldn't be too hard to figure out a system, but difficult to get everyone to buy into it. Something like the Dewey decimal system would be sufficient.

 

My thoughts are a setup like this:

 

*Object type (star/planet/moon/asteroid/etc.)

*Date of find (20060313 for example)

*Initials/credit of discoverer

*Possibly the the composition/%...

 

So, using the above, if I found an object today (let's say a moon which was mostly sulfuric 78% and Nitrogen 10%...whatever):

 

M:20060313-IN-S78/N10

[InfiniteNow]

Or, we could just go with Stanley...

 

Stanley1

Stanley2

Stanley3

.

.

.

[Tormod]

Stanley is boring. I think we should use Qfwfq. And the numbering should be in primes only. :hihi:=

[CraigD]

… So, okay - there are literally billions of objects in our solar system alone, if we keep the asteroid belt and Oort cloud in mind. Shouldn't we at least have some sort of consistent naming convention, so that when we run into a new moon (like Pluto's) we're not stumped for names?

 

Any ideas?

I’m for kicking Pluto and its growing number of hard-to-find moons out of the solar planet and moons club, before things get out of hand. Pluto’s just a kuiper objects, its planet status a relic from the days before the astronomy community was hip to how many such object are out there waiting to be discovered (IMHO, of course).

[Eclogite]

We may expect a decision on a new definition for what constitutes a planet at the Annual IAU meeting in Prague in August. The probability is that they will opt for a definition that involves a stable orbit around a star, and a diameter greater than 2000 kms.

 

That definition would keep Pluto as a planet and add 20003 UB313, discovered by Brown, Trujillo and Rabinowitz, to the list.

 

KBOs (Kuiper Belt Objects) names are based on creation myths. There are a lot of those (myths) out there, so we wont run out of names too soon.

 

 

Here are some related sites that may be of interest:

 

Specifications concerning designations for astronomical radiation sources outside the solar system

http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/iau-spec.html

 

Specifications for naming features on planets.

http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/append6.html

 

Summary of the discovery, features and naming of 2003 UB313, by Brown.

http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/planetlila/#name

[Ibbo]

Who actually has the right to naming things in space? Is there not a law passed that means no-one can claim rights to anything in space, and that EVERYTHING out there only belongs to our race as a whole?

 

If so, i reckon go with the sex toys name! It has priceless comic-cosmic value!

[InfiniteNow]

If so, i reckon go with the sex toys name! It has priceless comic-cosmic value!

Yeah! :eek2: I knew this idea would catch on. :D

[Qfwfq]

You mean cosmicomic!!!!!! Yeah, that goes along better with Tormod's suggestion...