The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute, or SETI Institute, is searching for terrestrial intelligence to help name Pluto’s newly discovered moons.
In 2011 and 2012, the Hubble Telescope spotted two additional moons orbiting the dwarf planet of Pluto. Right now, they’re called P4 and P5, but it seems that research scientists aren’t interested in names that sound like grocery store aisles.
Pluto’s three other moons are named Charon, Nix and Hydra, which are based on Greek mythological characters associated with the underworld. The current list of possible names for P4 and P5 is also associated with the realm of Hades, such as Styx, Persephone, Eurydice and Orpheus.
You can head over to PlutoRocks.com and cast your vote. Additionally, you can take a look at the current tally. As of now, it looks like the two most popular names are Cerberus and Styx. Styx, besides being a band in a genre I like to call, “Dad Rock”, is the river that flows between Earth and the Underworld. Cerberus is the three headed dog that guards the Underworld.
There is also an option to cast a write-in ballot, but your suggestions have to come from Greek or Roman mythology and they have to do with the underworld. (Loki loses again!)
Let’s have our own poll! What would you name Pluto’s new moons?