Uranus got its name from a very serious authority

Date:
Fri, 07 Jul 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Description:
These two pictures of Uranus were compiled from images recorded by Voyager 2 on January 10, 1986. The picture on the left has been processed to show
Uranus as human eyes would see it from the vantage point of the spacecraft. The second picture is an exaggerated false-color view that reveals details
not visible in the true-color view, including indications of what could be a polar haze of smog-like particles. NASA / JPL From kings to Shakespearian sprites, Uranus captures the imagination that goes into naming objects in space. The post Uranus got its name from a very serious authority appeared first on Popular Science .

FULL STORY ======================================================================
These two pictures of Uranus were compiled from images recorded by Voyager 2 on January 10, 1986. The picture on the left has been processed to show
Uranus as human eyes would see it from the vantage point of the spacecraft. The second picture is an exaggerated false-color view that reveals details
not visible in the true-color view, including indications of what could be a polar haze of smog-like particles. NASA / JPL

Everyone loves a good Uranus crack the mere mention of its name can draw snickers in a serious science class. But the sideways planet has a surprisingly respectable backstory that few people know. How did Uranus get its name?

Uranus (officially pronounced yur-un-us ) was the god of the sky in ancient Greece , but actually was not the first choice for the seventh planets name. The ice giant was discovered by British astronomer William Herschel in 1781, and finally recognized as a planet at that time. It had been seen in the
night sky for millennia, but people simply assumed it was another star. There were many observations of the position of Uranus before its discovery as a planet, says Bonnie Buratti , planetary scientist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Herschel thought his new celestial trophy should be called Georgium after
King George III, the reigning king of England at the time. Astronomers from other countries werent too happy with this choice, though, so they proposed a number of alternatives. A year later, German astronomer Johann Bode suggested the winning name , Uranus , the Latin word for the Greek god Ouranos. He made quite a persuasive argument with two main points. First, King George would stand out in a very strange way from the other planetary names, all based on ancient gods. Second, Saturn is the father of Jupiter in mythology, and Uranuss Roman counterpart (Caelus) is the father of Saturn, making a neat hierarchy in the order of the planets. The element uranium was named in 1789 in support of Bodes proposed title for the planet.

[Related: How old is Earth? ]

It is a bit strange, however, that Uranus is the only Greek god amongst a planetary neighborhood full of Romans. Its unclear if this was a mistakemaybe Bode didnt know the Roman equivalent of Ouranos was actually Caelusor if 18th-century astronomers simply preferred the Greek version of the name.

Such mistakes dont really happen nowadays, as the International Astronomical Union (IAU) meticulously oversees the naming of celestial discoveries (and
has done so since its founding in 1919 ), from whole new objects to detailed features on planets surfaces.

The IAU is the sole authority for official names for solar system objects, says Tenielle Gaither , database manager for the U.S. Geological Survey Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Chuck Wood , Wheeling University scientist and member of the IAU Working Group on Planetary Nomenclature , adds, the IAU is the only international body that is concerned with
astronomy, and every professional astronomer and nation accepts their authority. How do astronomers choose names today?

When a new body in space needs a label, the IAU committee for that kind of object gets to work. Planetary scientists can suggest names, but the ultimate authority still rests with the IAU, which has specific themes for each planetary system and kind of feature. Exoplanets, for example, are named
after the star they orbit or the telescope that found them (like 51 Pegasi b or Kepler-16b ), followed by a lowercase letter assigned in order of discovery. Meanwhile, comets are named after their discoverers plus a standardized number, like 1P/Halley. Asteroids, on the other hand, are named by their discoverers (not after their discoverers), and can be a reference to anyone or anything as long as its not inappropriate. An asteroid [ 363115 Chuckwood ] is named after me, so I passed the bar, says Wood.

The IAU also maintains a list of categories for every planet and its moons in the solar system. The six largest known rocks that orbit Uranus are borrowed from works of Shakespeare and Alexander Pope : Puck, Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon. The features on these satellites have even more individualized naming conventions. For example, all the cracks, crevasses,
and craters on Puck must be named after mischievous Puck-like spirits. On Miranda, names come from characters and places in Shakespeare plays.

Just like in Herschels time, some proposals can stir up debate and drama. You might think that deciding on names would be a dry, humdrum activity, says Wood. But it has often been contentious, starting with the US and Soviet naming of lunar features in the early [space race]. Hes been cursed at by other scientists, threatened with appeals to the president of the United States, and more, simply for insisting that names adhere to the IAUs established rules.

There is a lot of beauty in planetary naming, too. While IAU nomenclature is first and foremost a tool for scientists to discuss surface features clearly and unambiguously in the literature, some names certainly have personal significance, says Gaither, whose favorite planetary feature name is Morrison crater on Mercury , which she helped propose. I read most of Toni Morrisons novels in my late teens and early 20s, and they were pivotal in developing my understanding of the tragedy of Black womens lived experiences of racism, sexism, and poverty, she adds.

[Related: How long does it take to get to Mars? ]

In recent history, astronomical names have expanded from ancient gods of Western societies and works of famous white authors to now include important figures and landmarks from other cultures. Arguably the best-known example is the suspected interstellar comet 1I/2017 U1 Oumuamua : Its name is Hawaiian for a messenger from afar arriving first because it was discovered with a telescope located atop Haleakala volcano on Maui.

A scientific name can capture history, culture, bureaucracy, and more. With Uranus, it captures peoples endless appreciation for bathroom humor , even though its not really pronounced that way.

Correction (July 7, 2023): Due to an editing error, this story incorrectly stated that the Haleakala volcano is located on the big Island of Hawaii. It is on Maui.

The post Uranus got its name from a very serious authority appeared first on Popular Science . Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.



======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.popsci.com/science/how-did-uranus-get-its-name/


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Science News (1337:1/100)