Last workweek we account on a SETI initiativeallowing the public to vote on their favorite name for Pluto ’s fourth and fifth moons . The balloting is scheduled to close on February 25th , after which time the top names will be presented to the International Astronomical Union ( IAU ) for considerateness . ab initio , SETI provided a short inclination of Greek and Roman themed name , but elector were encouraged to propose their own . Now , as Universe Todayreports , William Shatner has stirred the mixture by proposing ‘ Vulcan ’ — a name that ’s now leading the kick .
https://gizmodo.com/nows-your-chance-to-name-two-of-plutos-new-moons-5983674
Thanks to Shatner ’s suggestion — and the ensuing support from fans and Trekkies — Vulcan is presently in the lead by a goodly margin , followed by Cerberus and Styx . David Dickinson tells us more :
This galactic sawhorse - race has the tendency to get interesting . to be take , the IAU ’s naming conventionalism only states “ Those that partake Pluto ’s orbital rhythm take the name of underworld deities , ” And the named moons of Charon , Nix & Hydra all follow this convention . Shatner ’s case for Vulcan does cite the god as “ The nephew of Pluto ” in romish mythology , but anyone who had studied Roman and Greek mythos knows that familial relations can be turn out between nearly any given god and/or goddess .
Interestingly , [ researcher and co - discoverer Mark ] Showalter turn down Shatner ’s second Star Trek / mythological suggestion of Romulus , cite that Romulus and Remus are already the names of the moons of asteroid 87 Silvia . While the “ doubled naming ” of object in the solar system is n’t unheard of , it may be a definite strike against a proposition . Cerberus , Orpheus , Hypnos & Persephone are all name in the track that are all also assigned to asteroids .
There’smoreat Universe Today , including precedents for ‘ Vulcan ’ as a name for heavenly bodies .
Image : NASA .
AstronomyPlutoScienceSpaceStar Trek
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