Thursday 23 April 2015

Naming Pluto’s Features: Submit Ideas by April 24

Otmane El Rhazi from USA.gov.

Historic Fly-By Will Reveal Planet’s Surface Details

Expectant parents try to pick out names before their baby’s due date. Astronomers are doing the same thing. They’re looking for suggestions for planetary features they expect to discover when a spacecraft flies past Pluto in July.

NASA’s New Horizons probe has been traveling nine years and more than three billion miles to the outer edges of our solar system. When it reaches Pluto, on July 14, it will send back the first-ever close-up images of the dwarf planet and its moons.

You can submit names for as-yet-undiscovered geological features on Pluto and its largest moon, Charon. Names must fit into themes about mythology or exploration. You can also check out suggested names and vote for your favorites. But don’t wait. Deadline for both is next Friday, April 24.

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