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posted by Fnord666 on Sunday April 14 2019, @05:15PM   Printer-friendly
from the this-won't-end-well dept.

The dwarf planet 2007 OR10 will get a proper name soon:

Astronomers have asked the public to help name a minor planet in our Solar System discovered in 2007.

The dwarf planet, which orbits the sun beyond Neptune, has since been referred to as (225088) 2007 OR10.

Now the scientists who discovered it are asking the public to help pick a catchier name. The options are Gonggong, Holle and Vili.

The winning name will be formally suggested to the International Astronomical Union.

Gonggong is a Chinese water god with red hair and a serpent-like tail. He is known for creating chaos, causing flooding, and tilting the Earth.

Holle is a European winter goddess of fertility, rebirth, and women, while Vili is a Nordic deity who defeated frost giant Ymir and used the body to create the universe.

Voting ends on May 10.

2007 OR10 has an estimated diameter of 1230 ± 50 km, and one known moon with a diameter less than 100 km.

Also at The Planetary Society and EarthSky.

Previously: Large Moon Confirmed Around Slowly Rotating Dwarf Planet 2007 OR10


Original Submission

Related Stories

Large Moon Confirmed Around Slowly Rotating Dwarf Planet 2007 OR10 2 comments

The dwarf planet 2007 OR10, estimated to be the fourth largest known Kuiper Belt object, has a companion:

2007 OR10 is the largest body in the solar system with no common name. And now, the no-name dwarf planet with a diameter between 800 and 950 miles (1,290–1,528km) has been discovered to have a moon.

[...] OR10 has a very slow rotation rate, which hid the moon in plain sight from Hubble for quite some time. It's a large moon for OR10's size, estimated at 150 to 250 miles (240–400km) in diameter.

The satellite was found in 2016 after astronomers analyzed Hubble images from 2010.

Many KBOs/TNOs appear to have satellites. Here's a list.

Discovery of a Satellite of the Large Trans-Neptunian Object (225088) 2007 OR10 (open, DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa6484) (DX)


Original Submission

Large Kuiper Belt Object 2007 OR10 Finally Given a Name: Gonggong 14 comments

2007 OR10 is now known as 225088 Gonggong, and its moon has been named Xiangliu:

Not far behind Pluto, the fifth-largest dwarf planet in the solar system hasn't had a name since it was discovered in 2007. It's just been hanging out beyond Neptune under the boring catalog designation 2007 OR10.

Well, that's officially changed as the previously largest unnamed body in the solar system is now officially Gonggong, named for a Chinese water god with the head of a human and the body of a snake.

And as a cool bonus, the tiny moon that orbits Gongong is named Xiangliu, after the minister that attended to the deity in Chinese folklore. The pair make up the first major solar system bodies to have Chinese names, according to astrophysicist Simon Porter.

Minor Planet Center.

See also: Seven Worlds in the Solar System That Could Be Just As Weird As Pluto

Standing on its surface, the icy ground would look dark and red, like Pluto. Indeed, 2007 OR10 is one of the reddest worlds astronomers know of. That reddish hue hints at the presence of complex organic compounds astronomers call tholins.

[...] Research published in 2011 [open, DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/738/2/L26] [DX] also showed that 2007 OR10 has a fresh surface covered in water ice. Astronomers think it's evidence of cryovolcanoes, where slushy ice erupts from below the surface like lava.

Previously: Large Moon Confirmed Around Slowly Rotating Dwarf Planet 2007 OR10
Public Asked to Vote on a Name for Dwarf Planet 2007 OR10


Original Submission

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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by opinionated_science on Sunday April 14 2019, @05:16PM (5 children)

    by opinionated_science (4031) on Sunday April 14 2019, @05:16PM (#829421)

    "The Rouge one"

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 14 2019, @05:22PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 14 2019, @05:22PM (#829422)

      Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, or Dopey.

      • (Score: 2) by Magic Oddball on Sunday April 14 2019, @08:36PM

        by Magic Oddball (3847) on Sunday April 14 2019, @08:36PM (#829480) Journal

        The Rouge one

        Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, or Dopey.

        Little did the world know that there had originally been eight dwarves, as the seven had decided to shun their rouge-faced sibling Alky long before Snow White came on the scene.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 14 2019, @09:54PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 14 2019, @09:54PM (#829493)

      Hank.

    • (Score: 4, Funny) by driverless on Sunday April 14 2019, @11:12PM

      by driverless (4770) on Sunday April 14 2019, @11:12PM (#829522)

      Dwarfy McDwarfface.

    • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday April 15 2019, @03:38PM

      by Freeman (732) on Monday April 15 2019, @03:38PM (#829881) Journal

      Were you talking about a shade of red or a rogue planet?

      --
      Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Dr Spin on Sunday April 14 2019, @05:28PM (6 children)

    by Dr Spin (5239) on Sunday April 14 2019, @05:28PM (#829423)

    Planet McPlanetface.

    --
    Warning: Opening your mouth may invalidate your brain!
    • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday April 14 2019, @05:29PM (1 child)

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday April 14 2019, @05:29PM (#829424) Journal

      My first thought was Boaty McBoatface - you beat me. :^)

      • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 14 2019, @05:44PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 14 2019, @05:44PM (#829428)

        But you know how this is going to end, so just vote "David Attenborough" now and be done with it.

    • (Score: 2) by r1348 on Sunday April 14 2019, @06:45PM (2 children)

      by r1348 (5988) on Sunday April 14 2019, @06:45PM (#829442)

      Dwarfy McDwarfface

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 15 2019, @12:59AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 15 2019, @12:59AM (#829556)

        Dwarfy McPlanetface

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 15 2019, @04:47AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 15 2019, @04:47AM (#829653)

          Rock McBoulderButt

    • (Score: 1) by The Vocal Minority on Monday April 15 2019, @04:17AM

      by The Vocal Minority (2765) on Monday April 15 2019, @04:17AM (#829630) Journal

      Came for the Boaty McBoatface reference. Left satisfied.

  • (Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 14 2019, @06:20PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 14 2019, @06:20PM (#829436)

    Trump is the US president. He is known for creating chaos, building walls, but most noteworthy as the God of Fire. He fired the most people of any administration.

    • (Score: 0, Offtopic) by fyngyrz on Sunday April 14 2019, @06:35PM (1 child)

      by fyngyrz (6567) on Sunday April 14 2019, @06:35PM (#829439) Journal

      Trump is the US president. He is known for creating chaos, building walls, but most noteworthy as the  God  Clod of Fire. He fired the most people of any administration.

      FTFY

      --
      This is a velociraptor-free workplace.
      It has been ~25,915,000,000 days
      since the last incident.

      • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 14 2019, @09:56PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 14 2019, @09:56PM (#829496)

        Get a job, Hillary.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 15 2019, @01:09AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 15 2019, @01:09AM (#829561)

      I tend to know Trump for creating chaos, failing to build walls, and being the destroyer of truth. Maybe he fires a lot of people that's just more on the chaos angle.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 14 2019, @06:55PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 14 2019, @06:55PM (#829448)

    I can't believe Tyrion wasn't suggested yet...

    • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Monday April 15 2019, @01:18AM

      by Gaaark (41) on Monday April 15 2019, @01:18AM (#829571) Journal

      Heh...nice!

      Or maybe Dinklage McDinklageFace?

      --
      --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
    • (Score: 2) by Arik on Monday April 15 2019, @05:53AM

      by Arik (4543) on Monday April 15 2019, @05:53AM (#829683) Journal
      I can't either.

      Consciously shitty fiction is so in range right now, how could that have possibly not happened?!?!?!111!
      --
      If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by realDonaldTrump on Sunday April 14 2019, @07:44PM (1 child)

    by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Sunday April 14 2019, @07:44PM (#829464) Homepage Journal

    We used to call it Pluto. They said, "oh, don't call that one a planet anymore, call it a Midget, or Dwarf planet." And now they're saying, "oh, don't call it Pluto anymore." They want to call it something much more Politically Correct. Shaking my head!!!!

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 14 2019, @08:21PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 14 2019, @08:21PM (#829477)

      Pluto was renamed "Hillary Obama LXIX".

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 15 2019, @05:16AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 15 2019, @05:16AM (#829661)

    “There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien

  • (Score: 2, Disagree) by Arik on Monday April 15 2019, @06:01AM

    by Arik (4543) on Monday April 15 2019, @06:01AM (#829690) Journal
    Fsck you, IAU. Fsck you hard with a chainsaw. Most of your inodes have been infected with the rot and we'll just have to remove them. Please try not to squirm or scream.

    If you want my opinion ask for my opinion. Don't pick three you think are appropriate then solicit a rubber stamp for your nominations.

    Because you know what happens when you do that? I come to your home with a chainsaw.

    No, that's a joke. I don't even own chainsaw. I have no idea where you live, and I don't care to find out. I got my own worries.

    But I do get pissed off and you probably don't want to erode the support for your budget. Science education is one area where I'm always happy to see some tax $$ going as long as it's for real. But the more shady shit that tax-funded researchers pull, the less confident I am in that condition.

    I'm about at the point of thinking that separation of church from state was about 400 years too late. What we might need is separation of science from state.

    And if they can't be trusted to provide it then we need some tax money back, so we can pay for it ourselves.
    --
    If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
  • (Score: 2) by hellcat on Monday April 15 2019, @12:50PM

    by hellcat (2832) Subscriber Badge on Monday April 15 2019, @12:50PM (#829784) Homepage

    Lister? Holly? or... Rrrrrimmer?

  • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday April 15 2019, @02:57PM

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday April 15 2019, @02:57PM (#829852) Journal

    Best name for a new planet:

    Error: name of planet cannot exceed 45 charac

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
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