Why do you want to name (225088) 2007 OR10 now?

We know, it's been a long wait! We've always wanted to have some kind of public involvement in naming 2007 OR10, but we also wanted to know more about the object to give it a name that fits. We've also been busy with research, work, and life (Meg has moved continents multiple times during this period). Thanks to Geert Barentsen who helped create this site for us.

How long do I have to vote?

Voting opens on April 9, 2019 at 06:00 AM PDT. Voting ends on May 10, 2019 at 11:59 PM PDT.

When will the results be announced?

Voting lasts for three week. After that we'll quickly announce the results on this site and then formally submit the naming suggestion for the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to consider. Check back soon for updates.

Will this be the official name?

Hopefully. When a planetesimal in the Solar System has a secure orbit, the Minor Planet Center invites suggestions from the discovers for a period up to 10 years. The Minor Planet Center passes the suggested name and justification from the discoverers to the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) Committee for Small-Body Nomenclature which makes the final decision. More details can be found here.

So we're just suggesting a name to be considered?

Yes. It is the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) Committee for Small-Body Nomenclature which makes the final decision. More details can be found here. In most past cases, the name suggested by the discoverers as long as it fits the naming guidelines has been taken as the formal name for the Solar System body, but the IAU Committee for Small-Body Nomenclature has the final say to ultimately accept or reject the naming suggestion. So, we think there's a good chance that the naming suggestion with the most votes will become the official name for 2007 OR10. If the top choice is not accepted, we will submit the second most popular choice to the IAU for consideration.

How did you pick these names?

We tried to select deities where there were links to color red and also where there was a theme of inside turning outside or with water ice/snow to connect to the suspected past cryovolcanism coating 2007 OR10 with water ice. Also, we looked for naming suggestions that have connections to other mythological creatures and deities that could be used as naming options for 2007 OR10's moon.

How long does the 2007 OR10 discovery team have to submit a naming suggestion?

Discovers have a 10 year period from when a minor planet is numbered, has an orbit that is deemed secure by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) and given a permanent number on top of its original desgination, where a name they suggest will have a stronger preference when considered by the IAU. (225088) 2007 OR10 was numbered by the MPC in November 2009. So the discovery team should submit a naming suggestion for 2007 OR10 is November 2019.

Can I see 2007 OR10 in the night sky by eye?

Unfortunately, no. We can see about visual magnitude ~8 stars by eye in very dark skies, and the brightness of of 2007 OR10 is about 21st-22nd magnitude.

When was 2007 OR10 discovered?

July 17, 2007, UT in the Palomar Distant Solar System Survey. Pre-recovery observations for 2007 OR10 have been reported to the Minor Planet Center (MPC). Observations of 2007 OR10 from as early as 1985 have been found.

What does (225088) 2007 OR10 stand for?

That's the designation that the Minor Planet Center (MPC), which keeps track of discoveries in our Solar System, gave for this Kuiper belt object. You can think of it like the license plate numbers for motor vehicles. All minor planets including Pluto and Eris have an identifier like this.

What's the Minor Planet Center?

The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is responsible for keeping track of all the discoveries and orbits for minor bodies in the Solar System. You can learn more about their mission at www.minorplanetcenter.net.

How did you come up with the proposed names?

Objects in the Kuiper belt in similar orbits to 2007 OR10 must be given names associated with mythological figures associated with creation. More details on the suggested naming requirements put forth by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) can be found here and here. We tried to find mythologies from across the world that fit the IAU naming criteria and whose origin and characteristics related in some way to the properties we know of for 2007 OR10. We tried to keep in mind that there's a moon that will also need a name. The discovers of 2007 OR10's satellite will have the right to submit a name for the moon, so we looked for naming options for 2007 OR10 where there would also be some suitable related naming options for the moon.

Where did the audio pronunciations come from?

The audio pronunciations of each candidate name are thanks to Øyvind Guldbrandsen (Vili), Ralf Edmund Stranzenbach (Holle), and Quanzhi Ye 叶泉志 (Gonggong), with help from Emily Lakdawalla.

I've got a cool name to suggest. Who should I get in touch with?

That's great, but we're going to pick the naming suggestion with the most votes from our list of three.

Can we suggest names for (225088) 2007 OR10's moon?

Sorry, not for this vote. We didn't find the moon, so that's up to discovers of S/(225088) 1 to decide how they want to go about selecting a name for their discovery.

Can I vote more than once?

Yes, you can vote for your favorite naming suggestion more than once, but we ask that you only vote twice per day so that all participants' voices have a fair chance of being heard.

Does the International Astronomical Union (IAU) know you're doing this?

The IAU has outlined a process for obtaining IAU support/approval for public naming campaigns. We have gone through this process.

Who designed the cool background image for the website?

That would be Alex Parker. Check out his other science visualizations and artwork here.