Dean's World

Sol's 10th planet

Dean

the new planet One of the most fundamental scientific beliefs from my childhood has fallen: the Solar System has at least 10 planets, not just nine. Two years ago, astronomers said they were pretty sure they'd found a 10th planet, and now it's confirmed: The tenth planet, estimated at about 150% of the size of Pluto, has been confirmed.

That's a time-lapse photo taken two years ago over there on the left.

They haven't named it yet. I hope they keep with the convention of naming the solar planets after Roman gods. It's a neat tradition and it would be a shame to see them break with it. I'd love to see them call it Diana or Apollo or Janus.

No matter what they pick, we're going to have to learn a new acronym: "My Very Elegant Mother Just Served Us Nine Peas" won't work anymore. Oh well!

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Jerry Kindall (www):

The two planets after Pluto are Mickey and Goofy. You'd know that if you'd read your Robert Anton Wilson. The mnemonic, of course, is "Mother Very Easily Made Jelly Sandwiches Using No Peanuts, Mayonnaise, or Glue."

7.30.2005 3:07pm

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Arnold Harris (mail):

Deanus, maybe?

Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI

7.30.2005 3:36pm

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Xrlq (mail) (www):

I think we should name it Mianus.

7.30.2005 3:58pm

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O. F. Jay (www):

Not a god but since it's so far away I think that Tantalus would be quite fitting...

7.30.2005 4:27pm

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Adam R:

For the name, how about "Proserpina" (Roman equivalent of "Persephone"), keeping with the underworld theme of Pluto and Charon. There's also currently only one other goddess.

7.30.2005 4:53pm

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Mark Noonan (mail) (www):

I understand that Pluto was named because plutonium is the element which comes after neptunium (last three planets - Uranus, Neptune, Pluto; follows the periodic table)...if this is the case, then we're about to have the coolest planet of them all...

America...

Because americium is the element which follows plutonium.

Hope it has a moon, because we can call that Ronaldus...

7.30.2005 5:01pm

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Andrew Cory (mail) (www):

Mark,
Huh? Why would we name America’s moon after the spokes-clown for a fast food joint? If we absolutely must get corporate sponsorship, would Mickey not be a better choice?

7.30.2005 5:15pm

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Dave (mail) (www):

Ronaldus Maximus (President Reagan), Andrew.

7.30.2005 8:34pm

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Dean Esmay:

Andrew was being funny just like Mark.

By the way: who's Mianus? I'm totally unfamiliar with that name.

7.30.2005 8:51pm

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mythusmage (mail) (www):

I like Janus, so the mnemonic would go, "My Very Elegant Mother Just Served Us Nine Peas, Jerry."

BTW, since Pluto and #10 are both smaller than Luna, isn't it about time we upgraded the moon to a planet and made the Earth/Luna pair an official double planet?

7.30.2005 8:57pm

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LNC:

LOL, Dean. I can't believe you didn't get the joke.

Mianus would go with Uranus.

7.30.2005 9:23pm

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Dean Esmay:

I like Proserpina. Not only would that give us another woman's name for a planet, but she is romantically associated with Pluto. Ceres (Proserpina's mother) would be cool too.

My Very Elegant Mother Just Served Us Nine Pretty Peas" or "My Very Elegant Mother Just Served Us Nine Peas Cooked" would work I suppose.

I envy the people who actually get the right to make this choice.

7.30.2005 9:43pm

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Dean Esmay:

Other female Roman god names: Minerva, Diana, Vesta, Fortuna.

Diana probably wouldn't work since everyone would assume it was named after the dead princess of Wales.

Now that I think of it, though, it's astonishing no one's used Minerva yet given her high place in the Roman pantheon.

7.30.2005 9:46pm

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Jerry Kindall (www):

"Minerva" is a great name. It was actually suggested as a name for Pluto and, although it was rejected, science fiction writers picked up the name and ran with it. James P. Hogan used it in his "Giants" novels for the planet that was once between Mars and Jupiter, whose destruction resulted in the creation of the asteroid belt -- the latest novel in the series is actually titled Mission to Minerva. Harry Turtledove used it as the name of the fourth planet in one of his novels, because Mars was boring and couldn't support life, but the fictional Minerva could. So yeah, in all seriousness I have to vote for "Minerva."

7.30.2005 10:54pm

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Steven Malcolm Anderson (www):

Extremely interesting post and thread here. Dean is right. Minerva certainly deserves a planet of Her own. She is the Roman counterpart of the Greek Athena, Protectress of Civilization.

Diana (Greek: Artemis) is the Goddess of the Moon as well as of the hunt. I have always thought that the Apollo project should have been named after Artemis instead, as the Moon was the astronauts' destination. Apollo is more closely associated with the Sun (Sol or Helios) or with light in general. We don't have a planet named after Bacchus (Greek: Dionysus) yet. I wonder what it would be like. Maybe we better not find out.

7.30.2005 10:58pm

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triticale (mail) (www):

My Mother, however was Educated and served Pizzas.

7.30.2005 11:15pm

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Jerry Kindall (www):

Earth is already Bacchanalian enough.

7.31.2005 12:01am

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Teri:

Folks, you don't know your Heinlein. "Mother Very Thoughtfully Made A Jelly Sandwich Under No Protest."

Takes care of Terra and the Asteroids quite nicely. (The rest of you all are leaving out the babies.)

Now, if we get America for number ten, that could be:

"Mother Very Thoughtfully Made A Jelly Sandwich Under No Protest Apparently."

Or, if you go with Minerva, ""Mother Very Thoughtfully Made A Jelly Sandwich Under No Protest, Modestly."

7.31.2005 12:23am

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Mark Noonan (mail) (www):

It should, perhaps, be reflective of the fact that it is at the far frontier of our solar system...and thus should imply a striving after the best ideals of mankind...

Libertas would be a good name...

7.31.2005 4:10am

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Mark Noonan (mail) (www):

Andrew,

Hadn't thought of that - and I despise the "food" provided by McDonald's...let's just call it Exxonia...with its moon Valdezium...

7.31.2005 4:12am

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Timmer:

One of the folks over at The Daily Brief recommended we name it Douglas after Douglas Adams.

I prefer that.

7.31.2005 10:22am

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Steven Malcolm Anderson (www):

Mark Noonan wrote:
"Hadn't thought of that - and I despise the "food" provided by McDonald's...let's just call it Exxonia...with its moon Valdezium..."

If we're going to go in that direction, then let's call it Nixxonia...with its moon Agnewzium...

7.31.2005 12:06pm

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Sam Muldia (mail) (www):

Wouldn't it make more sense to NOT make it the tenth planet and just face the fact that Pluto is nothing but a speck of a Kuiper Belt Object?

As for the name, call it Tatooine.

7.31.2005 3:17pm

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Sam Muldia (mail) (www):

Or Hoth.

7.31.2005 3:17pm

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Steven Malcolm Anderson (www):

Thoth.

7.31.2005 8:32pm

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Mark Noonan (mail) (www):

Timmer,

Naw, I don't think Adams would really appreciate that...might be better to call it Beeblebrox...

7.31.2005 9:47pm

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Arnold Harris (mail):

Some day us down here may have to use it as the ultimate slammer. So in the spirit of nostalgia,

Novo Alcatraz.

Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI

8.2.2005 12:23am

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Xrlq (mail) (www):

By the way: who's Mianus? I'm totally unfamiliar with that name.

It's a town in Connecticut.

8.2.2005 1:24am

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Meleah (mail):

I like Erebos - greek god of darkness. Seems appropriate.

8.3.2005 2:50am

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Daniel L. (mail):

I believe the elements uranium, neptunium, and plutonium are named after the planets, not the other way around. Don't you think it's a little egotistical to name a planet America, after a country, just like it would have been to name Uranus after a king, George.
Actually, according to ALF, the 10th, 11th, and 12th planets are named Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. Personally, I would like to see the planet named Faunus, the Roman name for the Greek god of the wilderness, Pan, since it's at the edge of the known wilderness of the solar system, although I think that Minerva would be a nice name for the new planet.

8.3.2005 3:04am