Should we Makemake anything about the name?

[Ai52487963]

Should we "Makemake" anything about the name?

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

What's the deal with some of these new planets being named after other mythological gods? Traditionally, the planets were named after the Greek gods, but Sedna and now Makemake are two different mythologies entirely.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I think they're cool names, but is there any reason why new planets are being named from different mythologies? Surely they can't run out of Greek gods?

 

[LowlyPion]

There are apparently more "bodies" or "plutons" or "plutoids" in the Kuiper belt than the ancient Greeks needed to name Gods to explain their universe.

Maybe it's a good gesture to be inclusive of less well-known mythologies to bring them a little sunshine?

Until the full extent of the Kuiper object field is more accurately determined, it may be that including all the world's religions and mythologies might not ultimately be a large enough pool of names. (Presumably not of course.) But if so, pity the school kids asked to memorize that mess.

 

[DaveC426913]

pity the school kids asked to memorize that mess.

Pleez. We've stopped asking them to do math manually, why would we expect them to remember things manually?

 

[Janus]

Well, for one thing, these newly discovered bodies are not "planets". For the other, the tradition of naming objects in the Solar system after Greek deities was broken long ago. All the Moons of Uranus are named after characters in Shakespearean plays. The first was named in 1787.

 

[LowlyPion]

Pleez. We've stopped asking them to do math manually, why would we expect them to remember things manually?

Oh, darn. You caught me being facetious.

Actually things have gotten easier now that they don't have to remember Pluto

Forget:
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas

Make it:
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles

 

[DaveC426913]

Oh, darn. You caught me being facetious.

I know. I was facetizing with you, not at you.