John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences

News and information from the UND John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences.

Name An ExoWorld 2022

In the Fall of 2022, the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium facilitated a brief but enthusiastic campaign to submit an entry to rename an alien planet! This was the “IAU Name An ExoWorld 2022 Campaign”, and we received entries from four different groups comprising over 30 students, teachers, and astronomy enthusiasts from Grand Forks, Fargo, and Moorhead Minnesota. Read more about the campaign and results below!

Image of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe walking through a valley. There are mountains in the background and people camping in the foreground.
McBride, Angus (1931-2007). Paul Bunyan and Babe.

Name an ExoWorld 2022:
This campaign is an international effort solicited by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) for star-gazers around the world to officially rename one of the many newly discovered alien planets, or “exoplanets”. Typically, when a new planet is discovered around some distant star, the planet and star together are named scientifically; HD 209458 (the star) and HD 209458 b (the lower-case letter denoting the planet). The IAU is the scientific body that catalogs and governs the names of celestial bodies (among other things). Occasionally, the IAU organizes campaigns to rename new planets according to the cultural traditions used around the world. The IAU will consider one submission from each nation, and each nation is free to submit a name however they like. For us here in the US of A, teams could submit names for consideration by the US chapter of the IAU, which might be the one the USA passes up the international level. For more information, check the official IAU website at www.iau.org.

The NDSGC organized a handful of outreach events between November – December to promote the campaign and share the excitement of exoplanets with the public. Suggestions for names were welcome from all, the names were put to a public vote, and the NDSGC submitted the names with the most votes.

The winning names were…

Bunyan & Babe (for the star HD 95086 & planet HD 95086b).
“The theme is persona and references form American folk iconography. Reflecting the regional ND/Minnesota roots, Paul “Bunyan” and “Babe” the Blue Ox make a fine pair for the star and planet. The star and planet are both considerably larger than their counterparts in the solar system, aligning with the “larger than life” reputations these characters took on. The star HD 95086 is a late A-type star that shines with a blue hue aligning with the distinct hide of Babe the Ox. Names for other objects can come from similar folklore, including “Cordwood” Pete (Paul’s younger brother), Johnny “Inkslinger” (his publicist), Johnny “Appleseed”, “Febold” Feboldson, “Pecos” Bill, and Joe “Magarac”. Other names can be included as appropriate.

These names are an excellent submission for USA as they celebrate American folklore that is its own blend of styles and themes that in turn reflect the best of the American melting pot. Heroic, hard-working, often quirky, the players in these tall tales could scarce get any taller than getting their name among the stars.

What happens now?
Now we wait! Next is the “National Vetting Process” when the USA branch will consider submissions from the nation and select one primary and two alternate proposals to pass on to the IAU. Then voting on the different names and candidates by all of us around the world will take place, and finally the results are announced on March 20, 2023.

Dec 15 – Jan 15: National Vetting Process
Jan 16 – Mar 16: Voting and Selection
March 20: Results!

Thank you to all who participated in this run for the IAU Name An ExoWorld 2022 campaign! It was a short run, so I really appreciate your participation, however you were able to. I also want to extend a special “thank you” to UND undergraduate student Ethan Jordan who first brought the whole effort to our attention, and to the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium for extending their resources and network for the effort.

All submissions are listed below. The name of the star and planet are accompanied by the explanation of the names and the specific system, as originally submitted.

Star + Planet Name Theme System
Vinland + Kensing The name Vinland is an overarching term used by old Nordic peoples exploring the lands of North America. Vinland is thought to mean “wine land” or “pasture/meadow land”. The accounts, artifacts, and literature regarding this exploration detail the first recorded accounts of exploring the northern lands of the Americas. Additionally, the Kensington Runestone, while not regarded as scholarly reliable, is culturally noteworthy as well with the tales that Scandinavian explorers made it all the way to Minnesota. Alternatively, there are other regional names used for new lands discovered such as Helluland and Wonderstrands. Star HATS-72 & Exoplanet HATS-72b
[in constellation Aquarius]
Itasca + Beulah The names for this theme is based on lakes of the Mississippi River. Seeing as it is potentially the most important geographic feature of the United States, it seemed fitting to name something after it. Itasca is the very start of the river and seemed suitable for the star as the source; given a name from the Latin terms for “True” and “Head”. This term feels suitable for a star as the center of the system. Beulah is the last lake the Mississippi comes into contact with before reaching the Gulf and is named after the nearby town. It is Hebrew for “Marriage”. It had a unique linguistic origin. There are about a dozen more lakes on the river as well that could be used for names (such as Pepin, Frentress, and Onalaska), but I chose Beulah because they are the first and last lakes, representing the start and end of the vast Mississippi that interconnects two sides of our country. Star GJ 367 & Exoplanet GJ 367b
[in constellation Vela]
Bunyan + Babe The theme is persona and references form American folk iconography. Reflecting the regional ND/Minnesota roots, Paul “Bunyan” and “Babe” the Blue Ox make a fine pair for the star and planet. The star and planet are both considerably larger than their counterparts in the solar system, aligning with the “larger than life” reputations these characters took on. The star HD 95086 is a late A-type star that shines with a blue hue aligning with the distinct hide of Babe the Ox. Names for other objects can come from similar folklore, including “Cordwood” Pete (Paul’s younger brother), Johnny “Inkslinger” (his publicist), Johnny “Appleseed”, “Febold” Feboldson, “Pecos” Bill, and Joe “Magarac”. Other names can be included as appropriate.
These names are an excellent submission for USA as they celebrate American folklore that is its own blend of styles and themes that in turn reflect the best of the American melting pot. Heroic, hard-working, often quirky, the players in these tall tales could scarce get any taller than getting their name among the stars.
Star HD 95086 & Exoplanet HD 95086b
[in constellation Carina]
Zeta + Epsilon The theme is Greek letters. Since Latin and Greek have been historically used in naming things here on Earth it is fitting that other planets be named after some of the letters of the Greek alphabet. Alphabets contain many unique sounding names that can be extended easily to name additional planets within the same system while maintaining the theme. Star WD 0806-661 & Exoplanet WD 0806-661 B [in constellation Volans]