Name the new planet

[BurtWorm]

http://ow.ly/MPrf





Name the New Super-Earth
By Brandon Keim December 16, 2009 | 1:57 pm | Categories: Space

Astronomers have spotted the most Earth-like planet to date, a massive ocean world that probably has an atmosphere and — though it’s highly unlikely — may support life. And it needs a better name.

For now, GJ 1214b is tagged according to standard exoplanetary nomenclature: the technical name of the star it orbits, plus a letter to signify the order of its discovery. (The letter “a” is reserved for the star itself.) It’s a name only a committee could love, and hardly appropriate to the discovery’s emotional resonance.

“We’ve been finding exciting planets for 50 years, and we’re still calling them by these terrible catalog names,” said David Charbonneau, a Harvard University astronomer who helped discover GJ 1214b, but doesn’t even have a nickname for it. “I have three young daughters, and I think they might be inspired by a better name.”

To help David out, we’re asking you to submit your own names for this watery super-Earth. Jump in!



Here are just a few of the names being suggested (with votes for, against):

DUSTBIN 2
by Anonymous 2 29

Hammsterdam
by Anonymous 5 32

Agua Caliente
by Phil 1 28

Planet 10
by Buckaroo Bonzai 2 29

pandora. come on.
by yordoom 4 32

Pandorum
by Nollan 4 30

New Jersey
by David 15 40

Waterworld
by Ray LePine 4 31

Clone
by Patrick T 1 27

Eden
by Aaron Spillane 1 28

Earth V. 1.2
by Anonymous 2 29

Monolith
by Anonymous 2 27

Margaret Thatcher's *****
by Steve 5 32

TERRANOVA
by LALO 4 30

Beeblebrox
by Anonymous 11 37

George Jettson
by Anonymous 1 28

DAMARCUS
by Anonymous 2 29

Fluffy
by zavatone 3 30

Agua Caliente
by Anonymous 3 30

JULIO
by Anonymous 1 28

Thalassa
by David 5 30

Cleveland
by Slick One 4 31

The ******* at Work that Pisses on the Toilet Seat
by Anonymous 6 33

Oceanus
by Chris Faranetta 10 35

Pandora
by Anonymous


(My personal favorite so far: Myanus)

[malaise]

1. Antihuman

in the name of peace.

By the way that's absolutely beautiful.

add

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Pluto !!!!!!!!

They owe us that.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

38. +1

[Capn Sunshine]

40. Hell Yeah!

astronomy is not a joke!

[tridim]

3. Anything but Waterworld please. nt

[Brickbat]

4. Booger.

[Stevenmarc]

5. Conservatoria, then ship them all there.

[tridim]

12. ..Without boats

[YOY]

18. They'd just make rafts out of the bloatiest and it'd be just like waterworld.

Without Kevin Costner to spice it up.

[cynatnite]

43. They'd probably have Chuck Norris instead. n/t

[Uncle Joe]

6. Wayne's World n/t

[charlie]

7. Magrathea

For Douglas.

[Captain Hilts]

8. Mookie!

[UrbScotty]

9. Let's name it Bob (nt)

[Sinistrous]

21. +1

[walldude]

24. Oh man I thought I was the only person in existence to watch

Titan A.E. Planet Bob. LOL... "you can't name a planet Bob" "Oh so now your the king of Bob?"

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. The one in the constellation Ophiuchus? 'Werescrewn', perhaps?

That really is the constellation: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/12/16/2152989.aspx

[librechik]

11. why don't we wait and see what the inhabitants have named it?

time to get PC about geo-centrism!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. Rumyungyungsonson

Obvious choice.

[cherokeeprogressive]

14. Terra Grande

[enlightenment]

15. Tethys.

Or Marah. Or Sedna.

Greek, Phonecian, Inuit - goddesses of water.

[derby378]

16. Enki

Sumerian god of water, fertility, and knowledge.

If it's the only planet orbiting GJ 1214b, name it Stephen Colbert.

[KansDem]

17. "Barney"

Assuming purple is its true color...

[guitar man]

19. I submitted

"Jerry Garcia" :hippie:

[rucky]

20. Stephen Colbert, of course!

[BurtWorm]

22. Does this suggestion belong to someone here?

JoeLiebermanIsADoucheBag-XVII

[rurallib]

23. Lieberman. An let's send there to plant his flag.

[bleever]

32. +1.

:thumbsup:

[valerief]

25. Cleanworld. nt

[cry baby]

26. Let's name it BurtWorm!

All the years I've been on DU, it's always been one of my favorite names - and posters!

[BurtWorm]

41. I'll second that!

:hide:

(thank u! :blush: )

[kimmerspixelated]

27. Zelia.

Planet Z. That's IT!

[MilesColtrane]

28. Bikinia Fundus

Who knows what strange, square creatures live there?

[orwellian]

29. Planet name: Sedna!

Inuit ocean goddess.

[conspirator]

30. It's too hot for life. Otherwise I would start building my space ship now nt

[roamer65]

31. Planet X

[proteus_lives]

33. Mon Calamari

"It's a trap!"

[timeforpeace]

34. Myanus.

[HopeHoops]

35. Testicallus

[Tommy_Carcetti]

36. Ceti Alpha V. nt

[apocalypsehow]

37. Blue Balls

[City of Mills]

39. Gearth

In honor of our bigger, larger, wider planetary cousin :)

[cynatnite]

42. I want to name it Cyn n/t

[EFerrari]

44. G_J is fine.

:)

[foxfeet]

45. Douchebaggia.

[arcadian]

46. LM 4532c