Exoplanets are like interstellar weeds—as soon as you identify one, another three pop up elsewhere.
So, with a growing list of extrasolar orbs to keep track of, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) recently turned to the public for help naming them.
The NameExoWorlds project collected suggestions from national campaigns across 112 countries, attracting 360,000 proposals by more than 780,000 people.
Another 420,000 voted on a shortlist of candidates, choosing one to represent each country. The complete list of approved names is available online.
(Disappointingly, no one managed to slip Planety McPlanetface or Mr. Starry Pants past the steering committee.)
The first possible evidence of an exoplanet was noted in 1917; the first confirmation of detection occurred in 1992. As of December 2019, there are more than 4,000 verified exoplanets in 3,000-plus systems.
“The number of discoveries continues to double about every 2.5 years, revealing remarkable new planet populations and putting our own Earth and Solar System into perspective,” Eric Mamajek, co-chair of the NameExoWorlds Steering Committee, said in a statement.
“While astronomers catalogue their new discoveries using telephone-number-like designations,” he continued, “there has been growing interest amongst astronomers and the public alike in also assigning proper names, as is done for Solar System bodies.”
With that in mind, the NameExoWorlds project—part of the IAU’s centennial celebrations—was conceived in part to reflect how Earth could be perceived by an extraterrestrial civilization.
“The IAU100 NameExoWorlds campaign provided the public with the exciting opportunity to help with the naming of over 100 new worlds and their stars,” project manager Eduardo Monfardini Penteado said. “And to help the IAU establish a thoughtful naming theme for naming future discoveries in those systems.”
The exoplanets—most of which are likely to be large gas giants—were discovered via either the transit method (where planets are observed passing in front of their star, blocking a portion of light) or the radial velocity method (where measurement of a star’s spectrum reveals it wobbles under the influence of the gravity of its planets).
Each nation’s designated star is visible from that country—sufficiently bright to be observed through a small telescope.
In recognition of the UN 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages, folks were encouraged to propose titles from their native tongue.
Argentina’s winning entries were submitted by a community leader in the indigenous Moqoit region: Naqaya (planet HD 48265 b) and Nosaxa (star HD 48265) mean “brother-family-relative” and “spring/new year,” respectively.
The United States, meanwhile, settled on epithets derived from Alaska: star Nushagak is named after a regional river famous for its wild salmon, while the planet of Mulchatna gets its title from the river’s tributary.
“It is gratifying that so many people across the globe have helped create a name for a planetary system that is meaningful to their culture and heritage,” IAU President-elect Debra Elmegreen said. “This effort helps unite us all in our exploration of the Universe.”
More on Geek.com:
- ESA Launches CHEOPS Mission to Study Exoplanets
- This Animated NASA Video Maps 4,000 Exoplanets in Deep Space
- Meet Arrokoth: Snowman-Shaped Ultima Thule Gets Official Name
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