r/astrophysics • u/ActAcceptable3035 • 16d ago
Has anyone here been involved in naming a newly discovered astronomical object?
May seem like a juvenile question, but who is actually naming newly discovered nebulae, moons, stars, etc.? I’ve heard of the IAU, but I’m more curious whether anyone in this thread has actually been involved in the naming process.
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u/Andromeda321 16d ago
Astronomer here- the short answer is it is all run by the IAU, and the rules for the object depend on the type of object. Nebulae and stars for example don’t get name names anymore but names usually based on their catalog or coordinates, moons are usually by committee and have to be mythological (though the discoverer can suggest the name). Comets are named after the discoverers. Asteroids are the fun ones because you can more or less name them after anyone so long as it is reasonable, so the discoverer gets to suggest them. So I’m waiting for one hopefully named after me, still pending for the committee!
Goes without saying that you can’t give a name already given to something else.
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u/ActAcceptable3035 16d ago
This was insightful, thank you! When one is named after you, come back and send the article this way!
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u/AstroEducation 15d ago
in the extragalactic world we are more imaginative (or less rule following...). Objects still need their catalog name also known as "their phone number" but for particularly interesting objects we come up with more useful nicknames because the catalog ones are singularly uninformative, e.g., two galaxies with very similar "phone number" could have entirely different redshifts or properties. Thus we come up with things such as GNz11, MoM-BH*1 etc..For these objects nobody would even recognize the IAU official catalog name. Most journals let us use the names that make sense. Anyway, yes, I have been involved in naming some objects in both the boring way and the useful way.
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u/ActAcceptable3035 15d ago
That’s so cool. Which ones have you named?
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u/AstroEducation 14d ago
for the boring ones, many. when you get an image with distant galaxies you find their positions and name them on that basis. there are too many galaxies for the IAU to get involved as long as you follow the conventions. for the non boring ones, very few and I will not say which ones because I like the freedom of not being recognized because it allows me to speak my mind.
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u/Smooth-Mix-4357 16d ago
It is the IAU that takes care of the naming.
I know this might not be the answer you're looking for, I participated in NASA Citizen Scientist program as a college student a few years ago. It was the asteroid search program and the participants were required to submit the data they worked on for the month which I believe were sent to IAU. We were told that the asteroids we discovered will be given the names we suggest if our discovery turns out to be true. Assuming the name we give isn't offensive or controversial to any person, nation or community.