"Sedna"?!

[Gyrate]

@Floater

Yttrium, Ytterbium and Erbium were named after a village called Ytterby outside Stockholm, Sweden, were they were first discovered together with Holmium, which is named after Stockholm.

I personally like Lore Sjoberg’s commentary on the naming of these elements:

All four of these rare earth metals are named after the same town in Sweden, so they have to share an entry. You want your element to get individual attention, put some work into the name, dammit. I could understand if all the good names were taken, but in a world where “kaboomium,” “explodium,” and “pornographium” still do not exist, there’s just no excuse.

I would so love to see Kaboomium on the periodic table.

[vibrotronica]

@Sublight

By the way, just how the heck do you pronounce “Kuiper”? Does it rhyme with ‘sweeper’, ‘swiper’ or what?

It’s “ky-por”
cite

[scotandrsn]

I think the use of the name “Sedna” is reminiscent of the ethnocentrism of England when moons were discovered around Uranus/George. Rather that bearing the names of Greco-Roman gods and mythological figures, they bear the names of those from English literature, heavy on Shakespeare’s supernatural figures. More recently, British research into a particular asteroid that shares a complex orbit linked to Earth’s has been dubbed “Cruithne”, after a Welsh goddess.

Since America discovered Sedna, America draws from Inuit (read: native American) culture’s mythology to name it. If you prefer, we could name it after the things that mainstream worship and read about. How’s this for a list of planet names?

[ul]
[li]Money[/li][li]God[/li][li]Wal-Mart[/li][li]Beer[/li][li]Tom Sawyer[/li][li]Daniel Boone[/li][li]Stanley Kowalski[/li][li]Jesus[/li][li]The Stranger[/li][li]Pamela Anderson’s Left Breast[/li][/ul]

[wolf_meister]

Yes, Sedna is just a tentative name. I thought it was a good name but I see a problem with it.

COSTELLO: I hear they discovered a new planet.
ABBOTT: Yes, it’s Sedna.
COSTELLO: They named a planet Edna?
ABBOTT: No it’s not Edna - it’s Sedna.
COSTELLO: That’s what I said !!
ABBOT: No you didn’t !!
etc

[Agent_Cooper]

“america discovered it” i love it. i am half surprised there wasn’t an auction…
how about the planet Pepsi?

[tomndebb]

@CaptainGeordie

I seem to remember that Will Hay, a well-known 1930s British film star and comedy actor was an amateur astronomer and made some interesting discovery in space in the early 30s? Anyone have any more information?

Will this do?

[DevilDan]

@DanBlather

I think they should call it “Martha”.

Hillary, definitely Hillary.

Frankly, I couldn’t care if someone makes the sensible choice and knocks Pluto off the official planet roster along with Sedna.

Don’t forget everyone, the tradition is Roman names, not Greek. Not that I’m a stickler. I haven’t seen anyone coming up with a cooler suggestion than Hel.

[Jack_Sarang]

@scotandrsn

Since America discovered Sedna, America draws from Inuit (read: native American) culture’s mythology to name it.

Slight nitpick, The Inuit are what most Americans still (incorrectly) refer to as Eskimos. The majority of whom live in Canada. Canada even has a territory bearing an Inuit name – Nunavut. Native American tribes such as Iroquois, Mohawk, Blackfoot etc are not Inuit.

[dtilque]

That story about the Eskimo goddess is bogus. It turns out that Sedna is a word in Old Palomarese meaning “Your telescope, you fool”…

[Moo_the_Magic_Cow]

Three words: Horrendous Space Kablooie.

[MonkeyMensch]

@Northern Piper

I think Arthur C. Clarke proposed “Persephone” as the name for the next planet out from Pluto, since she was Pluto’s wife.

The things you learn on the SDMB. I always knew Mickey and Donald were married, but Pluto! The bitch…