Last July , researchers at the Carnegie Institute for Science discovered12 novel moonsorbiting the petite and competently named Valetudo , an odd - testicle and Jupiter ’s smallest known lunar month . Now , members of the worldwide public have been given the hazard to name some of thesenewly discovered satellites .
Suggesting a name is very simple . You just need to tweet your approximation to the@JupiterLunacyaccount and explicate why you chose that particular name . You must also include the hashtag # NameJupitersMoons . But do n’t rush off to propose “ Moony McMoonFace ” ! The requirements are in reality quite strict , as is often the shell with astronomic names . You have until April 15 to pass on your idea .
First of all , the name call for to be a character from either Roman or Hellenic mythology , specifically descendants or fan of Jupiter / Zeus . Given that Zeus is the archetype of thef*ckboy , there ’s plenty of figure to choose from . alas , the name can not be similar to that of another moon or belong to an asteroid . So , thanks to a compounding of Jupiter having many moons and the westerly obsession of naming most astronomical object after characters in the Greek - Roman mythos , the pool of name from which to choose is restricted . you could check current asteroid nameshereandhere , and the name of other moons of Jupiterhere .
The submissions must not be queasy in any words or to any refinement . They can not be commercial in nature . And they can not be public figure shared with individual , places , or events chiefly known for political , armed services , or spiritual bodily function . They also should n’t immortalise endure citizenry , although it would be quite telling if a living person was the descendant of Jupiter .
The last stipulation relates to the ending of the word . Out of the five moons , two are prograde meaning that they orbit Jupiter in the same direction as it rotates . They require a name cease with the varsity letter “ a ” . The other three are retrograde , meaning that they orb in the other direction , and their name ask to end with the letter “ e ” .
If you remember you have a advance name , do participate in this interesting challenge . And if you ca n’t think of a name then check out thehashtag , maybe you ’ll feel some intake ! If you ’re curious about the complexness of naming astronomical physical object , you could take a look at the International Astronomical Union’srule Thomas Nelson Page .
