Astronomers recently discovered two previously unknown moons orbiting Pluto, bringing its total up to five. How this supposed non-planet can have so many moons is beyond me, but whatever. Anyway, the new moons have been dubbed P4 and P5 — an oversight that needs correcting, especially when considering the elegant names of Pluto's other moons Charon, Nix, and Hydra. Thankfully, a group of astronomers has shortlisted a set of names it's hoping to submit to the the International Astronomical Union (IAU) for consideration. And best of all, you can vote for your favorites.
The group responsible for this is none other than the SETI Institute. And, in keeping with the Greek and Roman theme, they've proposed 12 names:
- Acheron
- Alecto
- Cerberus
- Erebus
- Eurydice
- Hercules
- Hypnos
- Lethe
- Obol
- Orpheus
- Persephone
- Styx
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You can vote here. Alternatively, if you have a great idea for a name that they have overlooked, you can let them know by filling out the write-in form. There's also a blog.
During the course of the first day, SETI received over 75,000 votes. Voting ends at noon EST on Monday, February 25th, 2013.
H/t LiveScience.
Image: NASA.