# New Planet Discovered in Our Solar System? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 29, 2005, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713 "2005-07-29T09:18:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/21 "2005-07-30T03:03:05Z")
[planetarium lecturer hat on] Yep. Work’s gonna be interesting tomorrow. [/plh off] [sub]Urectum![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/22 "2005-07-30T04:41:30Z")
Nibiru… just for us Art Bell fans. ---
**Author:** ![Typically\_Sunday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Typically\_Sunday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typically_Sunday)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/23 "2005-07-30T04:51:21Z")
You people are nuts. It should be named Fernando. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/24 "2005-07-30T04:59:03Z")
> [@Typically Sunday](#): > > You people are nuts. > > It should be named Fernando. No, because the first probe we send to it will then be called ABBA. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/25 "2005-07-30T07:12:01Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > Dave. > > Actually, I don’t care what they name it so long as they steer clear of names ending in “-anus” this time. We have enough giggling schoolkids as it is. how about Urbungholio? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/26 "2005-07-30T07:15:55Z")
In the spirit of “Greenland”, I think we should name these new worlds something like “Paradise” and “Eden”. Or maybe “Nova Arabia” and “New Texas”. (Hey, we gotta jumpstart the space program somehow.) ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/27 "2005-07-30T07:47:55Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > (Hey, we gotta jumpstart the space program somehow.) Put **me** in charge of NASA, and I can assure you, we’ll end up with a program that beats the crap out of Apollo and comes in on budget (No promises about how many astronauts I’ll kill, though. I **will** be more than happy to swap places with any astronaut who thinks a mission’s too dangerous.) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/28 "2005-07-30T12:46:19Z")
The radio announcer today called it “Tenth Rock from the Sun.” I think that’s a good name. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/29 "2005-07-30T15:21:34Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Put **me** in charge of NASA, and I can assure you, we’ll end up with a program that beats the crap out of Apollo … Lemme guess… You’ll have them re-design the space shuttle so that the lights swivel to point in the direction it’s being steered? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/30 "2005-07-30T19:41:11Z")
[Og, no! They want to call it “Xena”!](http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3288636) > [@](#): > > Brown said they had a name they have proposed for the planet, but did not want to disclose it publicly until it had been formally approved by the International Astronomical Union. “We have a name we really like, and we want it to stick,” he said. > > Informally, the astronomers have been calling it “Xena” after the television series about a Greek warrior princess, which was popular when the astronomers began their systematic sweep of the sky in 2000. “Because we always wanted to name something Xena,” Brown said. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/31 "2005-07-30T20:09:23Z")
If they follow the tradition of Roman gods, the most likely possibilites are: Minerva - Goddess of Wisdom Proserpine - Goddess of the Underworld Bacchus - God of Wine Janus - God of Doors or past and future. Maia - Goddess of Growth Most likely Proserpine, but I would go for Bacchus; we have to be thankful for the zinfandel… and the orgies, don’t forget the orgies. ---
**Author:** ![Wallet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/32 "2005-07-30T20:29:04Z")
When I was in elementary school _many_ decades ago, our science teacher told us that there was another planet beyond Pluto, and it was unofficially named Vulcan. I really don’t think he was messing with our heads - without any S/T jokes, _is_ there another object out there named Vulcan? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/33 "2005-07-30T20:33:04Z")
I recall reading that at one time in the 19th century, astronomers though they had discovered another planet in between Mercury and the Sun, and had provisionally named it Vulcan. Vulcan doesn’t make a lot of sense for a planet beyond Pluto, like naming a cat Rover. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/34 "2005-07-30T20:40:30Z")
Yeah, [Vulcan](http://www.bartleby.com/65/vu/Vulcan1.html) was a hypothetical planet inside the orbit of Mercury that was supposed to account for some anamolies in Mercury’s orbit; turns out general relativity accounts for the anamolies instead. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/35 "2005-07-30T20:45:18Z")
The anomalies in my ability to spell, on the other hand, are accounted for by quantum mechanics. ---
**Author:** ![Wallet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/36 "2005-07-30T20:56:07Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > I recall reading that at one time in the 19th century, astronomers though they had discovered another planet in between Mercury and the Sun, and had provisionally named it Vulcan. :eek: My goodness, was I in elementary school _that_ long ago? 🙂 Seriously, thanks to Raygun and MEBuckner for the speedy answer! ``` -Wallet- ``` ---
**Author:** ![mkl12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@mkl12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkl12)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/37 "2005-07-30T21:35:14Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Og, no! They want to call it “Xena”! No, they don’t. It’s the same team that has previously discovered and named Sedna, and they got into a lot of trouble for using that name publicly before it was officially accepted. So now they keep the proposed name a secret and use code names instead. Sedna is a name from Inuit mythology, the goddess of the sea, and they will likely use another name from that or another arctic mythology. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/38 "2005-07-30T21:38:47Z")
Yuggoth. Watch for killer mushrooms… ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/39 "2005-07-30T21:42:53Z")
**Peregrine** – lat. for “wanderer” **Decum** – lat. “tenth” ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/40 "2005-07-30T21:43:36Z")
> [@Hung Mung](#): > > In keeping with Roman mythology I hereby dub it ‘Discordia’. > Because it’s just going to piss people off. I agree it should keep with Roman mythology. I’m still irritated over [Quaoar](http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~chad/quaoar/) (you have 8 planets and Og knows how many satellites named after Roman mythological figures then somebody pulls a Tongva deity out of Theiranus. “One of these things is not like the other…” I favor Morpheus, either for Laurence Fishburne’s character or the Sandman. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713.md?page=3)