100 000s of People from 110+ Countries Select Names for Exoplanet Systems In Celebration of IAU’s 100th Anniversary
On 17 December 2019 the names of 110+ sets of exoplanets and host stars named in the IAU100 NameExoWorlds campaigns were announced at a press conference in Paris (France). Within the framework of the International Astronomical Union’s 100th anniversary commemorations (IAU100) in 2019, 110+ countries organised national campaigns that stimulated the direct participation of over 780 000 people worldwide, who proposed and selected names for each exoplanet and its host star.
The IAU100 NameExoWorlds project saw massive and widespread participation around the world, as the public eagerly engaged in this exciting opportunity to suggest meaningful, creative and unique names for exoplanet systems for their respective countries. This is only the second time in history that a campaign has led to the naming of stars and exoplanets. Overall, 360 000 proposals for names were received from 110+ countries. The National Committee in each country reduced their proposals to a shortlist of national candidates, which were presented to the public for their votes. A total of 420 000 people voted for their preferred candidates. This project will have a lasting impact, as the winning names will be used in parallel with the existing scientific nomenclature, credited to the person, group or institution that suggested them....
IAU100 NameExoWorlds Contest
For the second time in its history, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has been organizing a competition for the names of the planets and stars around which they rotate ( http://www.nameexoworlds.iau.org/). This time, project participants dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the founding of the IAU are invited to give names to systems containing one star and one planet, with each country being allocated its own system. It is important to understand that approved names will not replace traditional scientific designations, but will be recognized by IAU as full names of objects and published with authorship. These names can then be used by anyone, without any restrictions, alongside or instead of scientific notation.
The HAT-P-15 planetary system in the constellation of Perseus is allocated to Ukraine. The star in this system is a yellow dwarf (type G) and is not yet accessible to ground-based telescopes. Exoplanet HAT-P-15b was opened in 2010 and is at a distance of 0.0965 AU. from the star, is a giant gas planet with a mass of 1.94 masses of Jupiter and an orbital period of 10.9 days (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/1229/hat-p-15-b/).
Given the wide public resonance of the contest, the worldview of the proposed names for the planetary system that will perpetuate our choice, the National Committee urges all organizations to place this information on their web pages and keep it active until the end of the contest, and to disseminate it to all social networks.