NameExoWorlds

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NameExoWorlds (also known as IAU NameExoWorlds) is the name of various projects managed by the International Astronomical Union (I.A.U.) to encourage names to be submitted for astronomical objects, which would later be considered for official adoption by the organization.

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The first such project (NameExoWorlds I), in 2015, regarded the naming of stars and exoplanets. [1] 573,242 votes were submitted by members by the time the contest closed on October 31, 2015, and the names of 31 exoplanets and 14 stars were selected from these. [2] Many of the names chosen were based on world history, mythology and literature. [3] In June 2019, another such project (NameExoWorlds II), in celebration of the organization's hundredth anniversary, in a project officially called IAU100 NameExoWorlds, [4] [5] welcomed countries of the world to submit names for exoplanets and their host stars. [6] [7] A star with an exoplanet was assigned to each country, and members of the public submitted names for them.

In August 2022, the third NameExoWorlds project was announced, which gave names to 20 exoplanets and their host stars, all of which are targets for observation by the James Webb Space Telescope. [8] The names were announced in June 2023. [9]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Overbye, Dennis (2 December 2016). "Twinkle, Twinkle Little [Insert Name Here]". The New York Times . Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  2. ↑ Pasachoff, Jay M.; Filippenko, Alex (11 July 2019). The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium. Cambridge University Press. pp. 658–659. ISBN   978-1-108-43138-5.
  3. ↑ Jones, Brian (19 October 2019). Yearbook of Astronomy 2020. Pen and Sword. ISBN   978-1-5267-5328-1.
  4. ↑ Staff (2019). "IAU100 Name ExoWorlds - name ExoWorlds II". International Astronomical Union . Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  5. ↑ Staff (6 June 2019). "Name an Exoplanet - IAU100 NameExoWorlds gives every country in the world the opportunity to name an exoplanet and its host star". International Astronomical Union . Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  6. ↑ Overbye, Dennis (14 June 2019). "So Long, Exoplanet HD 17156b. Hello ... Sauron?". The New York Times . Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  7. ↑ Kaufman, Marc (7 June 2019). "A Grand Global Competition to Name 100 ExoWorlds". ManyWorlds.Space. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  8. ↑ "NameExoWorlds 2022". nameexoworlds.iau.org. IAU. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  9. ↑ "Thai names chosen for distant stars". Bangkok Post. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
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