For crissakes, they discovered PLANET X

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4726733.stm

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7751&feedId=online-news_rss20

On Thursday a new planet-sized object was found orbiting the Sun at a distance of between 35-51 AU (at different points in its orbit) and an inclination of 28 degrees to the plane of the inner planets. By comparison Pluto orbits at an average distance of 39 AU and an inclination if 17 degrees. (1 Astronomical Unit = the distance between the earth and the sun) If the object has a reflectivity similar to that of other Kuiper-belt bodies, it is approximately twice the size of Pluto. Jose-Luis Ortiz and his colleagues at Spain's Sierra Nevada Observatory discovered the object while reviewing data from 2003. The International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center (MPC) in Cambridge, Massachusetts verified the obsevations and designated the object 2003 EL61.

― I'm Hi, Jared Fogle (ex machina), Friday, 29 July 2005 13:50 (twenty years ago)

Wow. Who gets to name it... and what should they call it?

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 29 July 2005 13:54 (twenty years ago)

Unfortunately, I think precedent has been set with the Roman Gods thing...

― The Original Jimmy Mod (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Friday, 29 July 2005 13:55 (twenty years ago)

The X stands for extreme

― tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Friday, 29 July 2005 13:56 (twenty years ago)

B-but:

They found Planet X!

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 29 July 2005 13:57 (twenty years ago)

planet eXcelsior!

― I'm Hi, Jared Fogle (ex machina), Friday, 29 July 2005 13:57 (twenty years ago)

B-b-b-b-but this one could be as big as Mars!

Sedna is tiny.
http://ipac.jpl.nasa.gov/media_images/ssc2004-05c_small.jpg

― I'm Hi, Jared Fogle (ex machina), Friday, 29 July 2005 13:59 (twenty years ago)

ihttps://www.looneystore.com/images/planet_x.jpg

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 29 July 2005 14:00 (twenty years ago)

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/orbits/2003el61.html

― I'm Hi, Jared Fogle (ex machina), Friday, 29 July 2005 14:07 (twenty years ago)

Unfortunately I can't find a Roman equivalent for Momus. I did learn during the search though that Carnaval always includes a Momus personage!

― nabisco (nabisco), Friday, 29 July 2005 14:16 (twenty years ago)

You all know this will be the object that destroys us, right?

― The Original Jimmy Mod (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Friday, 29 July 2005 14:18 (twenty years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0785112014.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

I was going to get more excited.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Friday, 29 July 2005 15:03 (twenty years ago)

Cupid!

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Friday, 29 July 2005 15:20 (twenty years ago)

If we could figure out the Romanized version of Momus, I would be all for trying to PWN space and lobbying to secretly get a planet named after my favorite Cyclopean Blogger.

― I'm Hi, Jared Fogle (ex machina), Friday, 29 July 2005 15:23 (twenty years ago)

Hasn't Pluto basically been downgraded recently? No longer a planet, I mean.

― andy --, Friday, 29 July 2005 16:17 (twenty years ago)

Yes - I believe it is now officially a hamlet now.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 29 July 2005 16:26 (twenty years ago)

Well, is it to be or not to be a planet then?

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 29 July 2005 16:27 (twenty years ago)

Also, "Momus" is already the latin spelling. I would also support this plan.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 29 July 2005 16:42 (twenty years ago)

And its at such a jaunty angle! I think Momus should use his e-celebrity status to get all his ~~sycophants~~ blog readers to talk this name up.

― I'm Hi, Jared Fogle (ex machina), Friday, 29 July 2005 16:48 (twenty years ago)

So many Greek/Roman mythology names have already been taken by asteroids, moons, and such. So what can it be called? Hephaestus maybe? Even that is probably taken.

― elmo (allocryptic), Saturday, 30 July 2005 04:31 (twenty years ago)

If they've found PLANET X now, how long will CHEMICAL X take?

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Saturday, 30 July 2005 06:39 (twenty years ago)

but SPEED still doesn't know RACER X is his BROTHER?!??!?

― hstencil (hstencil), Saturday, 30 July 2005 06:47 (twenty years ago)

and don't use Brand X!

only use SMILEX-brand products! "Looooove that Joker!"

― kingfish (Kingfish), Saturday, 30 July 2005 07:23 (twenty years ago)

OH HSTENCIL YOU WERE WONDERFUL

― TRACY (ex machina), Saturday, 30 July 2005 07:25 (twenty years ago)

ihttp://www.stomptokyo.com/img-m2/monster-zero3.jpg

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Saturday, 30 July 2005 12:38 (twenty years ago)

http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM03/Content/Ludwig/PR/Planet-Z-Cymbal-Pack.jpg

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Saturday, 30 July 2005 12:39 (twenty years ago)

http://www.badmovies.org/movies/monsterzero/monsterzero4-ic.jpg

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Saturday, 30 July 2005 12:40 (twenty years ago)

New Scientist calls on people to name the planet, even though, well, they don't have any authority over the name anyway.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050802/sc_afp/spaceplanetoffbeat_050802175418

Oh, and for now it's called "Xena".

― already disheveled hair projection (wetmink), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 22:20 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

It has a moon! so now it's Xena and Gabriella: http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/10/02/gabrielle_satellite_20051002.html

― Jaq (Jaq), Monday, 3 October 2005 14:35 (twenty years ago)

"Having a moon is just inherently cool - moons are just like assholes; everybody has one"

― PappaWheelie B.C., Monday, 3 October 2005 14:55 (twenty years ago)

if it officially becomes Xena and Gabrielle this will have been the single greatest achievement of science in the history of forever and we should be building monuments in every town.

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Monday, 3 October 2005 15:04 (twenty years ago)

Doesn't everyone in the solar system get to vote on the name? Or does it go to the highest bidder? I sense advertising potential.

― Jaq (Jaq), Monday, 3 October 2005 15:05 (twenty years ago)

THE ROGUE GIANT IS UPON US

― Homosexual II (Homosexual II), Monday, 3 October 2005 15:10 (twenty years ago)

Xena? C'mon. That's so tacky. These are planets for f*ck's sake, not dogs!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 3 October 2005 16:53 (twenty years ago)

Yeah! It should have been Hercules and Aeolis.

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Monday, 3 October 2005 16:54 (twenty years ago)

They're breaking the naming code! Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto were all discovered in the past couple hundred years, I think, but whoever named them was at least cool enough to keep the whole Roman-mythology string going. Switching over to Xena seems less postmodern collapsing-high-and-low-culture and more just kinda stupid and tacky. We should call them --

Ha, wait: a little googling informs me that we've already wasted Prosperine, Persephone, Demeter, and Ceres on asteroids and shit, and obviously we're not allowed to call anything Hades.

Clearly, then, the only Greco-Roman god appropriate to this laughable situation is Momus. Call the planet Momus. Call the moon Toog.

― nabisco (nabisco), Monday, 3 October 2005 17:10 (twenty years ago)

BACCHUS

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Monday, 3 October 2005 17:12 (twenty years ago)

Break with the greco-roman pantheon and name it LOKI.

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Monday, 3 October 2005 17:14 (twenty years ago)

ZOD

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Monday, 3 October 2005 17:56 (twenty years ago)

Zardoz

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 3 October 2005 18:31 (twenty years ago)

They just can not possibly call the moon Gabrielle

I liked the show and everything but... c'mon why not just call the moon Buffy

― milton parker (Jon L), Monday, 3 October 2005 18:41 (twenty years ago)

"Dave"

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 3 October 2005 18:47 (twenty years ago)

batman and robin

or, even lower on the pop-culture chain: scooby and shaggy

lower still: he-man and battlecat

rock bottom: "Planet Zack, and its moon Screech"

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 3 October 2005 19:07 (twenty years ago)

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