Do You Know What You Can Name a Planet?
Since NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency launched the James Webb Space Telescope in December 2021, we have received some of the most extraordinary images of space (or anywhere) ever taken.
The large and powerful space telescope has also been observing new exoplanetary systems, and now the International Union of Astronomers (IAU) would like help from the public to name 20 of them. That’s right: this is your chance to name a planet. Here’s what you need to know.
How to name a planet
First, a few clarifications. An “exoplanet” is a planet that exists outside of our solar system; An “exoplanetary system” is an exoplanet and its parent star.
And since 1919, the IAU has been tasked with cataloging celestial objects and establishing agreed-upon rules for naming them (among other things), which explains why they are holding the NameExoWorlds 2022 contest to name 20 exoplanetary systems.
How to enter the NameExoWorlds 2022 competition
This is a group project, so before you start thinking about names, you will have to put together a team or join an existing one. And not just any team: according to the IAU, one “consists of students and teachers, astronomy enthusiasts, amateur astronomers and exoplanetary scientists.” But the number of people who can join the team is not limited.
Once you’ve assembled (or joined) your dream team, it’s time to get to work. There are detailed guidelines and rules that you can read for all the details, but here is a general overview of what your team will need to do:
- Select a system from the 20 ExoWorlds in the list
- Conduct an educational astronomical event related to exoplanets.
- Suggest the name of the exoplanet and its star in your language and explain the cultural context.
- Register your team and submit your naming proposal (written + video) via this form.
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Teams can submit one entry, meaning a couple of names: one for the exoplanet and one for the host star. All proposals must be submitted by November 11, 2022, after which they will be reviewed and evaluated, and the winners will be announced on March 20, 2023.