Public told to go to hell, name Pluto's two new moons

A poll has been opened to decide the names for two newly discovered moons of Pluto, and so far the response has been phenomenal, the SETI Institute told El Reg. The two moons, the fourth and fifth found to be orbiting Pluto, have been provisionally named P4 and P5, but now the SETI Institute has teamed up with the …

[Why Not?]

Gotta be

Pinky & Perky!

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Gotta be

Barry and Paul

[JimC]

I was about to try and get the first post

with a sarky comment aout how many fatuous suggestions would be posted here instead of posted on the appropriate site, but I see that...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: I was about to try and get the first post

"I was about to try and get the first post with a sarky comment aout how many fatuous suggestions would be posted here instead of posted on the appropriate site, but I see that..."

So you won't be supporting my proposals for Dagnut and Winnit?

Mind you, that fool Showalter missed the heaven-sent opportunity of applying those names to the couple of moons around Uranus, and instead went with some Shakespearean nonsense.

[Mystic Megabyte]

press 2 for

BT and Helpdesk?

[Ryan 7]

Inexplicably omitted from the article, here's the poll for your convenience

http://www.plutorocks.com/

[Piro]

Thanks,.

Wondered why that was missing.

[Steven Roper]

Styx and Lethe?

Well, if Hadean rivers are permitted, one of the moons at least has got be called Acheron!

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Styx and Lethe?

River from Hell? That would be the Tees...

[Steven Roper]

Re: Styx and Lethe?

Well, I was actually thinking of LV-426 when I said Acheron, but your point is also taken!

[John Brown (no body)]

"River from Hell? That would be the Tees..."

Nah, that would be the river TO Hell. It's quite nice when you get up river into Teesdale and the like.

[Oninoshiko]

Hrm?

are things orbiting non-planets still considered moons?

[jai]

Re: Hrm?

"that's no moon!"

[Ru]

Re: Hrm?

are things orbiting non-planets still considered moons

Well, things orbiting stars might get called planets or comets, for example ;-)

But yes: the requirements for moonhood are quite simple; be a natural satellite orbiting a larger body. Everything else is a bit fuzzy, especially as regards size (generally >1km diameter, but 1862 Apollo has an 80m diameter satellite) and size relative to its primary (where the two are similar, it is more like a binary planetary or asteroid system... Pluto and Charon are borderline), but there don't seem to be a whole load of disputes.

[Oninoshiko]

Re: Hrm?

FTR: I'm the one who thumb-upped you, mostly because I didn't think you deserved to be thumb-downed.

I liked your post, while mine was 1/2 in jest, it was only half. Your post was informative. I didn't know the official definition of "moon" was so vague.

[Anonymous Coward]

As the names have to be from the underworld, then I vote for...

Steve

and

Jobs

:-)

[Ole Juul]

Re: As the names have to be from the underworld, then I vote for...

Attempts to nominate current celebrities will not be accepted

Which might be a missed funding opportunity. How much would the highest bidder pay to get their name in the sky?

[Anonymous Coward]

Are we naming all specks of dust now ?

Pluto's no longer a planet, are there public polls of everything in the Keplar belt too ?

Is this the XFactor for the Solar System - I'm sure I used to play a role play game that had a system for generating this kinda crap.

[Anonymous Coward]

@AC Re: Are we naming all specks of dust now ?

Don't go hating on Pluto, just because it's a Mickey Mouse planet!!! (Yes, I actually went there!!)

Putting on my space suit before Reginistas blow me out the airlock.....

[Anonymous Coward]

Twin moons

“the names must relate to the classical underworld”

Ronnie & Reggie?

[Francis Boyle]

Since we're restricted to the classics

surely that should be "Doug and Dinsdale".

[Joe Cooper]

I guess Van, Halen are out :(

[Anonymous Coward]

Related to the underworld and Roman or Greek?

1) Acheron and Styx

2) Benito and Mussolini?

[Yet Another Commentard]

Re: Related to the underworld and Roman or Greek?

I had thought about "Dis" (term for Pluto, also Satan), but the other moon would end obviously up as "Dat".

[Coldwind104]

Re: Related to the underworld and Roman or Greek?

"term for Pluto, also Satan"

I suppose it's not worth pointing out that Abrahamic cultural appropriation notwithstanding, the underworld of the classical religious traditions was not, in fact, the Judeo-Christian Hell, and its ruler was really not the Christian Devil?

It probably isn't. After all, the lamentable 'Clash of the Titans' remake, and 'Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief' pretty much ruled that they're the same thing.

On the other hand, I suppose from a Christian point of view, 'Dis' being a 'false god', His name is as much a name for Satan as that of Mars, or Neptune, or Venus...

[Jedit]

"Acheron and Styx"

If you're going to name them for a pair of rivers, Phlegethon and Styx would be more appropriate. The water nymph Styx (for whom the river is named) was in love with the fire spirit Phlegethon, but died at his touch.

[Daniel B.]

And here was me

Expecting them to be called Mickey & Goofy.

[stucs201]

Stick with the dog theme

One of them has to be Cerberus.

[Martin Budden]

Re: Stick with the dog theme

Yes, if for no other reason than to educate the young masses where JKR stole Fluffy from.

[Blofeld's Cat]

Well...

Yavin 4 and ... er ... hang on that's not a moon.

[Rampant Spaniel]

Calvin and Hobbers :)

[Robin Bradshaw]

Bah annoying rules

Id have suggested xkcd and minutephysics

[Winkypop]

Cerberus and Hercules

What better than a dog fight around Pluto?

[proto-robbie]

Unfortunate that...

...BOFH and PFY do not seem Greek or Roman, classics though they may be.

[Callam McMillan]

Re: Unfortunate that...

Do you think the BOFH would tolerate a rock where the internet connection has a multi-day ping time?

[IglooDude]

Re: Unfortunate that...

Of course, he'd proxy all the PHB's internet traffic through it.

[Christos Georgiou]

Re: Unfortunate that...

Just follow some transliteration rules, and you're set:

Bophis and Piphys

Now, a quick edit in Wikipedia introducing these relatively unknown minor Hades-related deities *just* before the committee verifies the entry, and Bobus is your uncle.

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

offenbach

The pair of them. Cos maybe now they'll reconfirm Pluto's off-again, on-again status on the list of planets. Well OK, Orpheus and Hades it is then...

[JohnG]

Re: offenbach

...but Offenbach is just a small shitty town to the east of Frankfurt, fast becoming yet another Turkish enclave.

[et tu, brute?]

Staying with the doggies...

...would surely make it Cerberus and Orthus, his doublet, especially as the rocks seem to be the same size, which means they must be brothers!

[Neil Barnes]

Wasn't Pluto named by Tonbough's daughter for the Disney character?

In which case, Mickey and Minnie seem logical...

[Anonymous Custard]

Re: Wasn't Pluto named by Tonbough's daughter for the Disney character?

When they said underworld and hell, I don't think they had Disneyland in mind.

That said I must admit when I read the article my first thoughts were also Mickey and Minnie (until I got to the limitations bit).

[Coldwind104]

Re: Wasn't Pluto named by Tonbough's daughter for the Disney character?

No. It was named by Venetia Burney from Oxford. And she named it for the god. At 11 years old, she was interested in the mythology of the classical cultures. Kids, huh? Tsk. Of course, then Facebook came along and made childhood so much more... something.

[Danny 14]

posh and becks

Would pluto be far enough away for them to go?

[MJI]

Greek Mythology

I want Kratos!

[jai]

wish we could name them "#itIsAPlanet" and "#damnit!"

[Pooka]

I don't think I've got the right Underworld.....

Barnstyle and Sappy's Curry

Shudder and King of Snake

Rez and Cowgirl

Emerson and Hyde?

[MJI]

Some of those are Bristol Siddley

Orpheus

Hercules

[Seeking wisdom]

So obvious - Mik3y & Minnie. Without them Pluto will feel rather lonely!

[Richard IV]

I've gone and submitted Pirithous as an alternative. It's one of my favourite "don't piss off the Gods" stories.

He and Theseus went down to the underworld with the intent of taking Persephone as his wife. Needless to say it didn't end well, what with them both being trapped on the chair of forgetfulness by Hades, and Theseus only being freed at the expense of his buttocks when Heracles harrowed hell to get Cerberus; Pirithous was trapped forever.

[The last doughnut]

I know how he feels

[Psyx]

R2-D2 and C3-P0

[Paul Westerman]

surely..

Patrick and Moore?

[Valeyard]

Greek Mythology

"Employment" and "national assets of 50p"

[Joe Harrison]

Can't remember but

"Lethe, whose waters caused those who drank to forget everything" I think I might actually have been there

[Euripides Pants]

Re: Can't remember but

Nah, that was some of uncle Roscoe's homemade glog.

Icon because it was 190 proof.

[Anonymous Coward]

Cronos

And Mantas. Or Abaddon.

[JimmyPage]

Sagan and Moore

thats all.

[Jay Holmes]

Keep the dog/hell theme of Pluto and add in Cerberus and Orthrus

Or if you just want to stick to Disney dogs then Goofy and his son Max

[Destroy All Monsters]

Doland and Gooby!

[Dilbert1969]

Rupert

[Tom 7]

following in from Nix

Zilch and Nada

or following on from Charon: Cloe and Joey - cant get much nearer hell than that.

[DayDragon]

Uranus

"Showalter has already named two moons of Uranus (Mab and Cupid, named after Shakespearean characters)"

Surely Uranus's satellites/moons should be called hemorrhoid and klingon... Or Sphincter and Starfish

[Kubla Cant]

Underworld

Mornington Crescent and Cockfosters

[Camilla Smythe]

Red Dwarf..

'HeadOne' and 'HeadTwo'. Kryten had three but one was a mardy Yorkshireman so it can be upset at not being nominated.

-

-

Hades reference... Cerberus had two heads.

[Jay Holmes]

Re: Red Dwarf..

<pedant>

Cerberus had three heads, his brother Orphus had two heads

</pedant>

[Gazareth]

Classical Underworld?

Got to be Slippy & Cowgirl.

[Pooka]

Re: Classical Underworld?

Heh - posted that Underworld joke on the other page....

But I guess as a followup we could go with "Everything" and "Everything"

[Gazareth]

Re: Classical Underworld?

Ah, missed that, was thinking no one had used it yet!

[Thomas 4]

Could do with something really classical

Dante and Virgil?

Named after the The Divine Comedy, rather than the Devil May Cry series.

[John Smith 19]

Twins of Evil

Gates and Jobs?

I know no current celebrities.

[proto-robbie]

Re: Twins of Evil

Cameron and Clegg?

[Tezfair]

Windows 8 and Office 2013

Because everyone knows they are out there but no ones really that interested.

[A Long Fellow]

a poetic reflection

The hell of astronomy

is all that taxonomy.

There's an object for everyone famous.

I understand Triton

was one of the Titans.

But I don't know much of Uranus.

OR...

I'm very impressed by Uranus.

or

The cold gassy blob is Uranus.

or

...

[proto-robbie]

Re: a poetic reflection

none of them hugely spontaneous...

[teebie]

"only a handful of man-made object to venture out of the solar system"

Is that hand empty? I though voyagers hadn't made it yet, and they are the furthest away.

[Anonymous Coward]

Planet and Planet 2

[Anonymous Coward]

All of you ignoring the "classic greek" bit

Look, if you are going to ignore the requirement for classic Greek, then there is one name that must obviously be there.

Hitler.

For the co-starring role, any of the following would do:

Manson

Rader

Gacy

[Robert Helpmann??]

Write-in?

Sisyphus got left off the list. There must be some mistake... or perhaps someone dropped the ball.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sisyphus

Naw, we just don' wan' no sissies 'round our planetoid!

(and why the hell you were downvoted is beyond me...)

[J.G.Harston]

Underwurlde?

Has to be Ultimate and Play The Game :)

[Euripides Pants]

Classical Underworld

Catwoman and Riddler

[henchan]

>> SETI said it is monitoring the boards for signs of spamming.

and if there are no signs, they'll pick an even easier target until ... something ... please ... anything.

[The Octagon]

James Westfall and Doctor Kenneth Noisewater

[Timly]

Dark Side of The....

Has to be Pink and Floyd, surely?....

[danR2]

Plato and Bluto

or Bluto and Plato

:)

[DarrDarr]

Pluto's not a planet, remember?

They can't be moons, 'cause when illegitimate planets get things orbiting around them, they have the power to just shut that whole thing down.