# What should we call the new ninth planet? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 20, 2016, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710 "2016-01-20T21:59:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Gretchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8edcca/32.png) [@Gretchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gretchion)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/81 "2016-01-22T01:50:30Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I saw where there is a movement afoot to name the Moon. I vote for “Buzz”, although songwriters are going to have a tough time with that. I thought the name of Earth’s moon was Luna. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/82 "2016-01-22T02:02:03Z")
> [@Gretchion](#): > > I thought the name of Earth’s moon was Luna. I like the Greek: [Selene](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selene). ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/83 "2016-01-22T02:26:07Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Name it Judy. > Planet Judy. It has a ring to it. [Planet Claire.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47YAcpCa5dM) ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/84 "2016-01-22T02:26:10Z")
It’s huge, right? I suggest Mammoth or Colossal. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/85 "2016-01-22T02:59:56Z")
> [@Gretchion](#): > > I thought the name of Earth’s moon was Luna. There seems to be some sort of convention among some people to call the Earth’s moon Luna, and our sun Sol, but neither of those, as far as I know, are names in any official or scientific sense. [This article](http://www.universetoday.com/120087/what-is-the-moons-real-name/) and [this article](http://earthsky.org/space/what-is-the-suns-name) seem to confirm. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/86 "2016-01-22T03:51:43Z")
Bronson. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/87 "2016-01-22T07:31:10Z")
Didn’t Jack Vance create a god named Kalzibah? That would be fine with me. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/88 "2016-01-22T09:23:53Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > \<…\>But what do we call it? Personally I think the sisterhood is a bit underrepresented in the planets, so I’d call it Juno. \<…\> Juno is already taken. It is the name of the 3rd asteroid ever discovered, in 1804. > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Arthur C. Clarke suggested that the tenth planet should be called Persephone, another underworld deity and wife of Pluto. > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Persephone seems to be a common choice (Clarke, Niven, Adams) \<…\> Persephone is also taken; it is the name of another asteroid, 399 Persephone, discovered in 1895. It really surprises me that **Clarke** , of all people, would make that suggestion and not know that there was already a celestial body named after Persephone… Poor asteroids, nobody keeps them in mind or remembers their names! ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/89 "2016-01-22T10:04:51Z")
[del]Gallifrey[/del] Mondas ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/90 "2016-01-22T13:03:58Z")
Planet Belewe. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/91 "2016-01-22T13:36:14Z")
**Treason?** [![](https://isfdb.org/wiki/images/b/bb/PLNTCLLDTR1979.jpg) ](https://isfdb.org/wiki/images/b/bb/PLNTCLLDTR1979.jpg) **Shayol?** [![](http://www.philsp.com/data/images/g/galaxy_196110.jpg) ](http://www.philsp.com/data/images/g/galaxy_196110.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/92 "2016-01-22T13:47:33Z")
Virgin ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/93 "2016-01-22T13:49:17Z")
In Honor of a science fiction series I’m fond of, Manticore. Or Sphinx. Or Gryphon. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/94 "2016-01-22T14:18:41Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > In Honor of a science fiction series I’m fond of, Manticore. Or Sphinx. Or Gryphon. If we don’t name a planet “Barrayar” before one of those it would be an insult to SF. ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/95 "2016-01-22T14:43:53Z")
Bieber. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/96 "2016-01-22T15:23:24Z")
The planet (Jules) Verne ? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/97 "2016-01-22T15:36:38Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > The planet (Jules) Verne ? There were moons named Wells and Verne in **The Flying Sorcerors** by David Gerrold and Larry Niven. If you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend it. Not only is it an extremely unlikely pairing (Niven and Gerrold?), but it’s a hilarious send-up of the entire SF community. And it’s also a good straight “Science Vs. Magic” story, done right. ---
**Author:** ![I.Dunno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9f8e36/32.png) [@I.Dunno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I.Dunno)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/98 "2016-01-22T16:28:05Z")
Ork. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/99 "2016-01-22T16:47:41Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > “Fellow members of the Science Council . . . KRYPTON IS DOOMED!” > > Hercules? > > Minerva is like Juno, except awesome. Hercules! Herculeeees! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/100 "2016-01-22T20:17:32Z")
Assuming this discovery pans out over the next few months … The discoverers are American, amirite? This planet is big; bigger than all Earth, amirite? This planet’s orbit is big; bigger than all Earth’s orbit, amirite? So there’s only one possible name for a planet this Great, found by a country led by a leader this Great. Ladies & gentlemen, I give you Planet TRUMP®. FYI, the all-caps are not optional. Anyone not complying will be invaded. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710.md?page=6)