There are usually two names for things in space. One is official, the other is fun. It makes sense. Researchers have their own exoplanet catalogs and black hole references are consistent, communicable, and clear — but as conscious beings, they also need to foster good vibrations. So, a galaxy cluster called “ACT-CL J0102-4915” is literally nicknamed El Gordomeans “The Fat One” because of its weight; there is also a magnificent ancient realm recorded as “CEERS2_5429” Maisie’s Galaxy.
Maisie is the name of the explorer’s youngest daughter. She found the galaxy on her ninth birthday.
The list goes on. Tons of cosmic objects have this front-and-back duality — but the important thing is, not all of them are like this. And that’s where you come in. The International Astronomical Union, which oversees naming procedures for celestial bodies and phenomena, Send name ideas For one of Earth’s quasi-satellites. Currently, the object is called 2004 GU9, or asteroid 164207 — but it’s called a “moon” because it’s tagged to our planet’s gravitational tides, like Our Moon™️. Still, 2004 GU9 is a “quasi-” satellite because its orbit is also determined by other forces, making it unstable. In fact, this strange object won’t always remain hanging around in our corner of the Earth. solar systemAfter around 2600, expected to go away quickly.
The competition is in partnership with the Radiolab podcast, hosted by Latif Nasser and Lulu Miller. That’s because not too long ago, Nasser managed to name his own half-moon.In the accident.
Relating to: Zoozve — The strange ‘sleep’ named after Venus by chance
A little over a year agoAs Nasser was putting his son to bed, facing the wall, he noticed something odd about a solar system poster he had hung up a while ago. Apparently, Venus It had a moon called “Zoozve.” It sounded a little strange, but not strange enough to make him question everything. Then, out of curiosity, he did a quick Google search on Zoozve because, well, wasn’t Venus known to have no moon? “Venus has no moons,” the internet confirmed. Then, Nasser started to question everything.
Long story short, after a pretty impressive detective story, Nasser uncovered the truth with the help of Liz Landau. NASA Headquarters in Washington. What he sees in the poster is Venus half-moons and was called 2002 VE. The handwriting was just crooked. But the story gets better.
After realizing this, Nasser decided to reach out to the International Astronomical Union to see if he and the Radiolab team could officially name the half-moon Zoozve, since 2002 VE didn’t yet have a “fun” name.
It worked; Zoozve is now stable astronomy history.
“Now it’s your turn,” Nasser says over Zoom, hopefully meaning the collective “you.” (Even the best I ever put out doesn’t deserve to be permanently printed online).
“This time“It’s actually one of Earth’s,” he added, “so it’s closer to us; one of ours.”
Tip SoilAccording to Nasser, there is enough scientific basis for the seven quasi-neighbors of the Moon to be considered “official” quasi-moons. Of those three, “we picked the weirdest one,” he said. “We picked the one that made a shape that we said ‘Wow.'” But what about the object itself? A gray rock, probably about the size of the Eiffel Tower, with a bumpy, possibly irregular blob on its surface.
A mythological revival
There’s a slight caveat to this naming contest. You see, Nasser owes his moon-naming success partly to his infectiously friendly personality and partly to luck. Technically, “Zoozve” is not an acceptable name by the IAU’s relatively new standards.
On the contrary, the IAU wants space he wants the wonders to be named after equally magnificent figures. He wants mythological names. Zoozve was chosen, Nasser believes, simply because the IAU seemed fascinated by the “loveliness” of the origin story (in the organization’s own words). Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on how you look at it—the IAU is likely to be more stringent in its new crescent-naming effort. But that won’t stop Nasser from dreaming. And given that he and several other Radiolab employees will be part of the judging committee, perhaps there’s room for a “wild card,” he suggested.
“If there are names that are unusual and not mythological, we’ll try to offer them,” Nasser said. “We’re more on the jokey side of, ‘Maybe it should be Mooney McMoonface!’ I think they’re more on the side of, ‘This is not a stupid, weird joke. This is going to be there forever.'”
For each one Boatman McBoatface boots, Roof covering Moon rover and Naughty Boy rocket, there is a Kamo’oalewa asteroid, Ceres dwarf planet and Andromeda galaxy.
Nasser also sees value in mythological names, and says the team hopes to include astronomers and mythologists. “If there’s something from your culture, no matter where you’re from and no matter what part of the world you’re from,” he says, “there’s a frame in the sky where you named something from your culture, and that’s beautiful.”
“Maybe something with that kind of spirit of mischief and unpredictability,” he suggested, since that would be a reference to the instability of half-moons in general. “What initially attracted me to half-moons was that they form shapes in space that I didn’t think were possible.”
A full list of guidelines can be found here HereBut there are two main points that Nasser wants to emphasize. Anyone can participate, first of all, regardless of age. Parents can participate on behalf of children who are not over the age limit and can also submit an application for themselves. Age is really just a number when it comes to cosmics. Eventually, the names will be narrowed down to 10 finalists and the committee will go from there.
Second, according to Nasser, the question you might want to ask yourself is: “What is the name that only you can think of and no one else can think of?”
“Send us that name.”
We’re just playing the Game of Life
One of the most common examples of space object naming is probably the “Name a Star” program, which I’m sure is used as a plot point in many dramatic soap operas. Just search for “name a star” and you’ll get a bunch of options. I can see the value of such an activity on both sides — naming an object that lives in the infinite, that you can’t experience up close, can feel a little pointless. However, “owning” a corner can feel profound Universe, especially because the universe has an infinite nature.
But Nasser actually has a different perspective, somewhere in between: Naming a quasi-moon of Venus is like playing the Game of Life.
Let me paint you a picture.
Imagine yourself as one of the miniature characters riding in a Life car. You roll the dice. You move forward a few squares. Oh look, you get a Life Tile. What does Life bring you this time? “Like, ‘I’ve recorded a hit single!'” Nasser explained, “or ‘I’ve won the Nobel Prize!'”
If you win this Earth-Moon naming contest, it’s like getting one of those Life Stones — not life-changing enough to complete the game and collect a lot more stones, but not pointless either, as you’ll keep your stones until the end of the game. It’s always nice to look back on those stones after the game is over.
Related Stories:
— Earth’s strange ‘half-moon’ Kamo’oalewa is a fragment that has been ejected from a large lunar crater
— Earth has a new ‘quasi-moon’ after discovery of newly found asteroid 2023 FW13
— Moon rocks breaking off the lunar surface could become near-Earth asteroids
“To have a hand in naming something that will outlive me — there’s something really special about that,” Nasser said. “It helps me step away from my life a little bit, which is very satisfying, like when things in my life are frustrating. It’s a potato-shaped rock, but somehow I feel this relationship to it.”
Of course, as the IAU can attest, this also contributes greatly to the “loveliness” of your life.
“I have a former professor who I’m still close with,” Nasser said. “He named one of his goats Zoozve.”