A unusual “quasi-moon” of Earth is ready to get a reputation — and you’ll be able to be a part of the method.Previous this 12 months, the science podcast Radiolab and the Global Astronomical Union (IAU) — the group that assigns legit names to celestial our bodies and their floor options — introduced a competition to call the asteroid (164207) 2004 GU9.That 500-foot-wide (150 meters) area rock is considered one of our planet’s quasi-moons — a brief better half that is orbiting the solar in a trail very similar to that of Earth. 2004 GU9 can be with us for approximately 600 extra years, then shoot away into the darkish and empty depths of area.The naming contest has now reached a brand new and thrilling degree: A panel of professionals, together with TV “Science Man” Invoice Nye, has picked seven finalists from a pool of just about 3,000 monikers, which have been submitted via folks in additional than 90 nations.Similar: Zoozve — the bizarre ‘moon’ of Venus that earned its title via accidentIAU conventions require that the names of cosmic gadgets be hooked up to probably the most many mythologies evolved via folks all over the world. The seven finalists, and their cultural origins, are:Bakunawa (Filipino)Cardea (Roman)Ehaema (Estonian)Enkidu (Sumerian)Ótr (Norse)Tarriaksuk (Inuit)Tecciztecatl (Aztec)“How fortunate are we that we get to call one thing in area that may outlive us all?!” Radiolab co-host Latif Nasser stated in an emailed observation. “We paired up with the Global Astronomical Union to ensure that someone in the entire international can vote and confidently to find some surprise and inspiration alongside the best way. Narrowing down the hundreds of submissions used to be onerous, however I will be able to’t wait to peer which title the sector chooses!”Breaking area information, the newest updates on rocket launches, skywatching occasions and extra!You’ll be able to be informed extra in regards to the finalist names, and vote on your selection, on the contest homepage. Vote casting will run thru Jan. 1, 2025.The judges who picked the seven finalist names come with (however don’t seem to be restricted to):Invoice Nye, science communicator and CEO of The Planetary Society, a space-exploration advocacy organiziationPenn Badgley, actor and manufacturer, recognized for roles on “Gossip Lady” and “You”Celia Rose Gooding, actor who performs Nyota Uhura on “Superstar Trek: Atypical New Worlds”Jacob Pinter, manufacturer and co-host of NASA’s “Curious Universe” podcastMoiya McTier, astrophysicist, creator and host of the “Exolore” and “Faded Blue Pod” podcastsSalman Hameed, science educator and founder and CEO of Kainaat StudiosSofia Rojas, postdoctoral researcher on the College of California, Los AngelesWanda Diaz Merced, astrophysicist and pioneer in sonification, which turns datasets into audible soundSean Carroll, creator and theoretical physicist; Homewood Professor of Herbal Philosophy at Johns Hopkins College
