Update on the Planet Situation

[miss_yt]

So, apparently we now have twelve planets in our solar system: Ceres, formerly considered a large asteroid, residing between Earth and Jupiter; Charon, formerly considered to be a moon of Pluto but in truth engaged in a sort of roundabout with it; and Xena, out beyond Pluto.

Here's an article with a chart showing the new planets.

I hope they don't decide to add anything else before this settles down: I can remember three extra planets but too many more than that would be taxing.

Now...how do we develop a mnemonic device to remember these new planets? Especially since the last one starts with an X? Unless the mnemonic is based on Xena: Warrior Princess.

Comments

[madcaptenor.livejournal.com]

It probably won't permanently be called Xena (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_UB313#Name). Basically, planets have to be named after mythological things, preferably from Greco-Roman mythology. "Persephone" seems appropriate. But there's an asteroid named Persephone already (and in fact, there are asteroids named after basically all the Greek and Roman mythological characters) so they might end up using a name from another mythology. "Hades" is apparently free, though.

[miss-yt.livejournal.com]

Pluto is the Roman name for Hades, though, so it's not free.

If they really have used up all the Greek gods, maybe they'll name it after an Egyptian one?

[madcaptenor.livejournal.com]

that's true, but they're different words.

and there are asteroids named Hermes, Aphrodite, and Poseidon, or so Google tells me, so it's not unheard of to use both the Greek and Roman names for the same deity to name different celestial objects. (although those asteroids aren't big enough to become planets under the new definition.)

[flashfantastic.livejournal.com]

perhaps you happened to catch Colbert last night?

[alashiya.livejournal.com]

I don't understand why they can't name one of the planets Alashiya. Harrumph.

Or Jack.

Or Pookie.