Ever wanted to name a planet? Here’s how to name one found by the James Webb Telescope

Anyone can name a star online, but the International Astronomical Union is offering a rare opportunity in space: to name a planet discovered by the groundbreaking James Webb telescope.

The IAU is responsible for naming everything in space, from constellations, comets and what lies outside of our solar system. Although the organization names planets itself, it wants the next group of planets to be named by the public in the NameExoWorlds 2022 competition, a celebration of the 10th anniversary of its Office for Astronomy Outreach. The goal: “To invite communities around the world to connect their own cultures with these distant worlds”.

“It is exciting to host a new NameExoWorlds competition to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Office for Astronomy Outreach. Their work over the past decade has had a global impact, and this competition is another way to bring people together through astronomy,” said IAU President Debra Elmegreen in a press release.

Which planets are named?

There are twenty planet names to choose from, all of which are exoplanets, meaning they are outside of our solar system.

They are of “special interest,” says the IAU, because they will be the first exoplanets to be observed by the James Webb Telescope. They were “discovered by a mixture of techniques, principally via the transit method and direct imaging”.

Submissions will not just name the planets either; People will also name the star the orbits of exoplanets, giving them the honor of naming an “ExoWorld”.

It is the third time the IAU has allowed the public to name ExoWorld. This happened in 2019 and 2015.

What do you have to do to name a planet?

You can’t just name the planet or star after your child, spouse, or pet.

What the IAU wants is teams of students, teachers, astronomy enthusiasts and astronomers of all levels coming together to choose a name. The proposed names “should be things, people, or places of longstanding cultural, historical, or geographic importance that are worthy of being associated with a celestial object.” The star and planet names should also have a common theme.

Once the teams have decided on the names, they need to create and run an exoplanet outreach event, e.g. B. An event where the public is informed about exoplanets and their importance in person or online.

Teams must also submit their proposal, the outreach event and why it should be selected, in a written request in English of no more than 300 words and a video in their native language no longer than three minutes.

When will the winners be announced?

Teams have now until November 11 to submit names.

From there, the IAU will work with the National Outreach Coordinator to select a proposal for countries with multiple submissions. Voting will take place from December 16th to March 16th, 2023 and the winners will be announced on March 20th.

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