Neil deGrasse Tyson reveals clever names for 7 newly discovered exoplanets
Science nerds have had a thrilling week thanks to NASA’s big planetary announcement.
On Wednesday, the U.S. government agency unveiled details regarding Trappist-1, a dwarf star dimly burning nearly 40 light years away.
The distant star is circled by seven Earth-sized exoplanets, and the solar system has quickly become a compelling one for space fans. Scientists are excited about the discovery because some of the planets are orbiting the star within a range that could support liquid water and the potential for life.
It’s also a tantalizing revelation because now we can all start dreaming up names for the seven new planets we may one day call home.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, a well-known astrophysicist and host of the TV show Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, was one of the first people to weigh in on possible names for these seven planets with this humdinger of a suggestion:
The 7 newly discovered Earth-sized planets orbit a “Red Dwarf” star, so perhaps they should each be named after the 7-dwarfs.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) February 23, 2017
And it didn’t take long for other ideas to start rolling in online, as you can see below.
@neiltyson Since the sun is called "Trappist-1," what about naming the planets after Trappist beers? pic.twitter.com/6ToGf55oXV
— Brookston (@Brookston) February 23, 2017
@neiltyson or, if we want to be badass about it, the 7 deadly sins?
— KLIMOVSKI (@KLIM0VSKI) February 23, 2017
As it turns out, there are a lot things that come clustered in seven. Here are just a few groupings that Reddit user poeiradasestrelas compiled:
Seven virtues in Christianity
Seven classical planets
Seven heavens
Seven days of the week
Seven colours in the rainbow
Seven seas
Seven wonders of world
Seven continents
Seven pure notes in the diatonic scale
Seven kings of Rome
Seven liberal arts
Seven sages of Greece
Seven sages of ancient India
While the options seem endless, the more than 85,000 likes the astrophysicist received on his Twitter post in just one day appear to indicate that many want his idea to win out.
After all, who wouldn’t want to live on a planet called “Happy”?