# 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:** 17\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/121 "2016-01-25T17:27:49Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I was going to suggest Felis silvestris catus for that reason. Or Silvester for short. I’ll have to call it “George”, because I can’t say “Sylvester”. ---
**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 25, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/122 "2016-01-25T17:42:14Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I’ll have to call it “George”, because I can’t say “Sylvester”. Good. 'Cause I suggested that in post #67 > [@](#): > > When William Heschel looked for a name for the new planet he’d discovered – the first since the days of the Classical Greeks and Romans – he wanted tio call it “George”\*. I say we give it another shot. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/123 "2016-01-25T18:00:29Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > I like this one. 🙂 I have to add my support to “Rupert” as well. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/124 "2016-01-25T19:02:17Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > OK, I went and did the research. (Well, I did a few Internet searches at least.) > > There are no [moons named Dis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_natural_satellites#List). (There’s a “[Dia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dia_%28moon%29)”, but no Dis.) > > Astonishingly enough, there aren’t [any asteroids named](http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/MPNames.html) Dis. (There’s “Disa” and “Disora” but no Dis.) > > Dis is a [Roman god of the underworld](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C4%ABs_Pater), often identified with Pluto, so we’d be kind of rectifying the injustice of having demoted the Lord of the Lower Realm to mere “dwarf planet” status. (It was also[used in _The Divine Comedy_ as a name for part of Hell, including the frozen lowest circle of Hell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dis_%28Divine_Comedy%29), so that adds to the appropriateness.) > > And the _name_ Dis has a nicely sinister sound for a frozen, vaguely uncanny world, out there in the black depths of the outer Solar System, in some strangely elongated and eccentric orbit. > > _Dis_. > > Of course, this is all [naming our planets before they’ve actually been discovered](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Chicks#/media/File:Chick_one.JPG). Also, the astronomers might very well wish to deliberately break with tradition and _not_ give a Roman name to a new Solar System planet in order to be more multicultural and all–[actual objects out there have been given a wide variety of names](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EightTNOs.png) and while they certainly aren’t completely devoid of classical Greco-Roman names (Eris, Orcus), there are also lots of worlds with names like [Quaoar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50000_Quaoar#Name) and [Sedna](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/90377_Sedna#Naming) and [Haumea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haumea#Name). Good suggestion, but lends itself too easily to confusion. _Points to new planet_ What do you call this? Dis? Yes, this! What do you call it? We call it Dis! What do you call it? Dis! Yes, I want to know what you call this! Dis is what we call it! What is? And so on… ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/125 "2016-01-25T19:48:36Z")
Name it Schmanet, so we can call it Planet Schmanet. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/126 "2016-01-25T19:57:33Z")
Planet Hollywood. Planet Express. Planet Janet. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/127 "2016-01-25T19:57:56Z")
I vote for Planet Nonet, which means a group of nine objects or individuals working together. Although the term usually is associated with musical groups, it fits right in with the classical idea of the ‘music of the spheres’. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/128 "2016-01-25T19:59:28Z")
If it turns out it doesn’t exist after all, we could call it Planet Nein. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/129 "2016-01-25T22:01:05Z")
Maybe I’m missing something obvious here, but is there a reason why no-one has suggested that it be given the name of one of the most important and popular Roman gods, **Vulcan**? (Yes, I know. But if they could call a Space Shuttle _Enterprise_…) ---
**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 25, 2016, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/130 "2016-01-25T22:11:46Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Maybe I’m missing something obvious here, but is there a reason why no-one has suggested that it be given the name of one of the most important and popular Roman gods, **Vulcan**? > > (Yes, I know. But if they could call a Space Shuttle _Enterprise_…) Well, it was the name of a “ghost planet.” That is, there was a non-existent planet that was theorized to exist because of gravitational anomolies in Mercury’s orbit, and this planet was dubbed “Vulcan.” See [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_(hypothetical_planet)). That said, it never actually existed, so I suppose the name is up for grabs, except to preserve it for historical purposes in talking about the past hypothetical planet. Also, I’d say any planet named Vulcan should at least be a fiery planet of some sort. ---
**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:** [January 25, 2016, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/131 "2016-01-25T23:28:46Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > Good suggestion, but lends itself too easily to confusion. > > _Points to new planet_ What do you call this? > Dis? > Yes, this! What do you call it? > We call it Dis! > What do you call it? > Dis! > Yes, I want to know what you call this! > Dis is what we call it! > What is? > > And so on… And once we find any surface features–like a crater or something–we should commemorate the great Scottish engineer and inventor who perfected the steam engine and helped bring about the Industrial Revolution. “Watt is a crater on Dis!” “What?” “Yes, exactly!” “What?!?” “Yes, that’s right–Watt is a crater on Dis!” “I don’t know! What _is_ a crater on Dis?” “No that’s right–Watt is a crater on Dis!” “Say ‘what’ again, motherfucker, I _dare_ you–” Sorry, wrong bit. ---
**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 26, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/132 "2016-01-26T00:03:25Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > If it turns out it doesn’t exist after all, we could call it Planet Nein. You win the thread. Good one. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/133 "2016-01-26T00:43:02Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Kunta Kinte Nah. Someone will want to rename it Toby. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/134 "2016-01-26T01:04:58Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > Boy, we sure hate all thing trans-Neptunian, don’t we? One lord of the underworld, one goddess of strife, and now a terrible monster? > > We’re making Pluto sad. [See?](http://www.trendinside.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/pluto1-gap.jpg) What did the outer solar system ever do to us, anyway? > > This trend needs changing. I’m suggesting “Snugglymuffins” for the new guy. > > Seriously, though, “Typhon” is actually pretty good. Although, sadly, it seems that it’s already [taken](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42355_Typhon). So, back to my earlier plan of blowing up space fluff. Damn, I thought Typhon was pretty good. ---
**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 26, 2016, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/135 "2016-01-26T12:40:07Z")
> [@john mace](#): > > nah. Someone will want to rename it toby. Kunta Kinte! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/136 "2016-01-26T13:53:58Z")
I thought we weren’t allowed to use that word. ---
**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 26, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710/137 "2016-01-26T14:20:47Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I thought we weren’t allowed to use that word. You want to call it Planet _Nih!_ ?? …or maybe Planet _Itt_/ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-call-the-new-ninth-planet/743710.md?page=6)