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Last summer, scientists announced that they had discovered a dozen new moons in orbit around Jupiter. But now comes the difficult part: to name them.
The researchers announced that they wanted to get help for this task, asking astronomy enthusiasts to suggest their names for five of the new discoveries. If you are ready for the challenge, here is what is involved.
First of all, know that it is not a game for all. Names must meet certain constraints in order to be approved by the International Astronomical Union, which oversees all names of objects in space and entities on their surfaces.
The moons of Jupiter are all named for characters from Greek and Roman mythology who are either descendants or lovers of the main god of the Pantheon, Zeus / Jupiter. This is not necessarily particularly limiting; in both sets of mythologies, this god is notoriously known for his aggressive sexual activity.
But the moon names in the Jovian system are also structured according to the direction in which they gravitate around the gas giant. Two of the new moons orbit in the same direction as the planet turnswhich requires a name that ends with -a; the other three travel in the opposite direction and will be given names ending in -e.
There is other rules Similarly, for example, names can not be too similar to those already used for moons or asteroids, and they can not offend any crop.
Once you have defined the names you want to name, it's time to go to Twitter to explain your choice in a single tweet to @JupiterLunacy Mark #NameJupitersMoons. The deadline for submissions is April 15th.
Email Meghan Bartels to [email protected] or follow her @meghanbartels. follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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