PARIS: Members of the public have until April 24 to submit suggestions for names to be given to geographic features on the surfaces of Pluto and Charon. NASA’s New Horizons probe will reach orbit of Pluto and Charon, the dwarf planet’s largest moon, and map them for the first time.
Once these data start rolling in, names will be needed, and the New Horizons Science Team will collaborate with the International Astronomical Union, which governs the appellations given to astronomical objects. The team wants the public to nominate ideas and vote for their preferences here.
The nominated names fall into three categories: The History of Exploration, The Literature of Exploration, and the Mythology of the Underworld.
The History of Exploration theme is meant to commemorate historic explorers, scientists and engineers, and space vehicles. Pluto will be the last of the traditional nine planets to be imaged by an orbiting spacecraft. It is also a large and relatively nearby member of the Kuiper Belt, a region of dwarf planets beyond the orbit of Neptune.
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