Want to help name a faraway planet? Read this.

Uwingu is accepting recommendations for names of planets orbiting distant stars. All names will go into a database for final selection by astronomers and others.


Uwingu wants you to help name faraway planets. It’s gonna cost you $4.99, but, according to Uwingu: … much of the proceeds from these name nominations will be used to generate a source of grants to fund space exploration, research, and education — called The Uwingu Fund. Up to now, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has taken upon itself the duty of providing official names for objects in space. Who gave them that right? Well, they gave it to themselves, as a bonafide international organization of professional astronomers of long standing. The naming system worked well throughout the 20th century. But after the IAU decided to demote Pluto from full planet status in 2006 – and as crowd-sourcing became such an effective and popular way to do so many things – some people began to wonder if there wasn’t a better way. Astronomer and Uwingu CEO Dr. Alan Stern – who also happens to be principal investigator for the New Horizons space mission now en route to Pluto – said of Uwingu’s plans: This is a first step in democratizing planet naming. And it’s a new way for the people of Earth, of every age, of every nation, of every walk of life to personally connect to space discoveries

A comparison of planetary orbits between our solar system and the Gliese 581 system. Image Credit: National Science Foundation/Zina Deretsky


According to Uwingu’s press statement released today (February 27, 2013): People can nominate “exoplanet” names for their favorite town, state, or country, their favorite sports team, music artist, or hero, their favorite author or book, school, their company, for their loved ones and friends, or even for themselves. Individual Uwingu planet name nominations cost $4.99; there is no limit on the number of nominations a person or entity can sponsor. Uwingu makes volume discounts available to purchasers of blocks of names.

source and credit a earthsky