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Astronomy Magazine Second After Big Bang NEW RESEARCH HOW OXYGEN COLORS TIPS TO PLAN YOUR 2017 THE UNIVERSE’S LIFE p. 28 25 USA SOLAR ECLIPSE p. 54 MARCH 2016 ACTUAL size of observable universe 10-32 The world’s best-selling astronomy magazine second after Big Bang NEW RESEARCH How Pluto got its name p. 44 www.Astronomy.com AND MORE BONUS Vol. 44 stellar Run a Tele Vue’s • ONLINE Issue 3 software non-Messier DeLite CONTENT CODE p. 4 15 packages p. 49 marathon p. 58 eyepieces p. 64 Planet X How Pluto got its name The public’s suggestions for naming the new planet ranged from the scientific to the personal, revealing a glimpse into the social mind-set of the day. by Kevin Schindler and Lauren Amundson he staggering media attention lavished on New Horizons’ flyby of Pluto last July demonstrated the public’s ongoing fascination with all things Pluto. This distant neighbor from the dark and Tremote regions of our solar system may be physically diminutive compared with other planetary worlds, but it outshines many of them in terms of public interest and sentiment. This captivation dates back to Pluto’s discovery in 1930 at Lowell Observatory, when a spellbound public overwhelmed observatory staff with letters and telegrams offering congratulations and often colorful suggestions of what to name the new planet, known only as Planet X. This correspondence, much of it now preserved in Lowell’s new Putnam Collection Center, offers invaluable insight into the issues and prevailing This telegram shows the original suggestion of the name thoughts of the day while also revealing an intimate Pluto, conceived by schoolgirl Venetia Burney and submitted (above transcript) glimpse at the personalities of many of the individu- via by her grandfather to Lowell Observatory. Oxford, Mar 16 als who submitted ideas. WLT — One of those suggestions came from Venetia Lowell Observatory Burney, a schoolgirl from England who enjoyed learn- the March 13 announcement of the planet’s discovery Flagstaff, Ariz. ing about mythological characters. On the morning of and the May 1 naming declaration were frenetic for March 14 while Venetia ate breakfast, her grandfather Slipher and his colleagues. While they tried to focus Naming new planet read to her a newspaper account of the planet’s recent on astronomical issues relating to the new planet, please consider discovery. After thinking about the news and reflecting such as an orbit determination, the public distracted Pluto, suggested on her knowledge of mythology, she said Pluto, the god them with surging demands of what to call it. by small girl Vebtia of the distant, cold underworld, was an appropriate Media bombarded Lowell staff with inquiries Nurney [sic], for name for this dark and gloomy place. Her grandfather about the name while letters and telegrams poured dark gloomy planet. sent her suggestion, unknown to Venetia, to the British in from individuals and organizations with often astronomer H. H. Turner, who strongly opinionated propos- Turner. in turn shared it with Lowell als. This interest spiked even Observatory. MEMORY LANE higher when a reporter mis- This note would be one of quoted Lowell trustee Roger hundreds received by the More than two dozen of the Pluto-naming Lowell Putnam as saying the observatory but stands alone letters and telegrams, along with other observatory would welcome in importance, as indicated in Pluto-related documents and photographs suggestions for the name. the last paragraph of the May from the Lowell Observatory Archives, are Publications from the Boston available for browsing in the Year of Pluto 1, 1930, Lowell Observatory Collection at the Arizona Memory Project Herald to the San Francisco Circular that served as Pluto’s at azmemory.azlibrary.gov. Daily News, Popular Science christening announcement to Monthly to The Christian planet Earth. Lowell Director Science Monitor carried Vesto Melvin (V. M.) Slipher wrote, “It seems time this story, prompting even more people to join the now that this body should be given a name of its own. planet-naming craze. TNAM COLLECTION TNAM … Pluto seems very appropriate and we are proposing Newspapers and other entities also began holding to the American Astronomical Society and to the contests. Monckton Dene of South Haven, Michigan, Roger Lowell Putnam was instrumental in Royal Astronomical Society that this name be given wrote four different letters to the observatory hop- pushing for the discov- it. As far as we know Pluto was first suggested by Miss ing to enhance his odds of winning a $5 prize. The ery of “Planet X,” which, Venetia Burney, aged 11, of Oxford, England.” Paramount Theater in New Haven, Connecticut, though predicted for ran a naming contest in conjunction with the local erroneous reasons, nonetheless became One of many paper. Paramount’s advertising manager, Ben Cohen, reality with Pluto’s That part of the naming story is well documented in wrote a more self-aware letter to the observatory: discovery. history books and often encompasses the whole tale. “The sponsors were not so presumptuous as to However, it is only the misleadingly brief and stream- promise that the winning name would be given to lined conclusion. In fact, the seven weeks between the new planet. They did promise, however, that the winning names would be forwarded to you for your Kevin Schindler has been talking Pluto for the past 20 consideration. Therefore, we respectfully submit to years at Lowell Observatory, where he recently took on the you the contest-winning name for the new planet role of historian. Lauren Amundson is the Lowell archivist representing the choice of 200,000 people: Minerva.” and has handled hundreds of Pluto documents stored in the Meanwhile, Delia Grace Valancourt of Champaign, ILLUSTRATION BY KELLIE JAEGER; ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOWELL OBSERVATORY’S PU OBSERVATORY’S LOWELL OF COURTESY PHOTOS ALL JAEGER; KELLIE BY ILLUSTRATION observatory’s Putnam Collection Center. Illinois, informed the observatory that she had won WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 45 TALLY OF THE GODS (at right transcript) March 15, 1930. (AND OTHERS) Mr. Roger Lowell The following represent the names and number of Putnam, nominations preserved in the Lowell archives, a mere Springfield, Mass. fraction of the total received. My dear Mr. Putnam, 25 PLUTO Roman god of the underworld Just another note of 17 MINERVA Roman goddess of knowledge congratulation and one more suggestion 14 PAX Roman goddess of peace toward a name for planet “O”. 13 JUNO Roman queen of the gods 11 Roman god of fire and metalworking It occurred to me VULCAN that inasmuch as the 8 HERCULES Roman hero planet has already been styled planet 6 APOLLO Greek god of truth and music “O” that to name it 6 “OSIRIS” would be EREBUS Greek god of darkness an easy and a happy 6 EUREKA as in, “Eureka, I found it” solution. 6 PEACE Understanding “O” 5 Greek goddess of knowledge to be the letter, of ATHENA course, and not the 5 OSIRIS Egyptian god of the afterlife cypher. Though his reasoning was flawed, astronomer William 5 PERCIVAL after Percival Lowell, who predicted Practically all of Pickering did predict the existence of a “Planet O” orbiting the existence of the new planet the Greco-Roman past Neptune (“Planet N”), similar to Lowell’s Planet X. names are used up, as you know, nam- ing the planets and a similar challenge held by the Chicago Herald and and Pennsylvania (24). Suggestions also arrived from planetoids — and Examiner for her suggestion of Athena, Minerva’s Canada, Germany, Korea, England, and Mexico. They it seems to me that Greek counterpart as the goddess of wisdom. proposed a total of 171 different names, with 13 listed it would be quite appropriate too, to at least five times. Ancient deities dominate this list, name it after the The proposers following the tradition of planet naming. Of these, six long-lost Egyptian Urged on by the papers and contests, the suggestions are male and four are female. Many of the latter sug- hero-divinity. swelled. The precise number of letters and telegrams gestions came from the increasingly vocal female pop- that swamped Lowell is lost to history. But the obser- ulation, whose status in society was enjoying dramatic Believe me, vatory received hundreds of them, with some 150 improvement at the time. One letter suggested six Yours very truly offering the name Pluto, according to a note pre- possibilities (Athena, Juno, Psyche, Circe, Cassandra, Walter M. Wynne, Lieutenant served from Lowell’s secretary, though most of these and Atalanta) and was signed, “Star-rover, She is not a Commander, are nowhere to be found in the archives. With the Feminist.” The author wrote, “For ages men have been U.S. Navy circus-like atmosphere surrounding the Lords of Creation. Now that women the naming, one can imagine much are striving for the top o’ the world it P.S. — Please of this correspondence was simply would be regarded as a compliment to do not bother to thrown away. the sex to give the new planet a femi- acknowledge this More than 250 letters remain. nine name. It might encourage further note. Have written to Mrs. Lowell and Many of their authors added frag- exalted aspirations.” Lowell Observatory. ments of biographical information, so we know they ranged in age from 11 to A new era 78 and included at least 117 men and Another theme of the times, the 86 women. The pool of proposers con- pursuit of peace, stands out sisted of students and teachers from thanks to the multiple sug- elementary school through college, gestions of Pax and Peace. attorneys, ministers, a United States Walter Niehoff, a student at senator, and even a lieutenant com- Lafayette College in Easton, mander in the U.S.
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