A large icy object that helped spark the debate over Pluto's status has officially been named Eris, after the Greek goddess of discord.
The object had been known as 2003 UB313 since its discovery was reported in 2005 by Mike Brown of Caltech in Pasadena, US. It is slightly larger than Pluto, which prompted Brown and others to refer to it as the 'tenth planet' and generated debate about what should be considered a planet.
Now, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has settled on an official definition of planet, which demotes Pluto to a new category of "dwarf planets".
The IAU has now approved Brown's suggested name, Eris, for the dwarf planet formerly known as 2003 UB313. In Greek mythology, Eris caused a fight over a golden apple, which led to the Trojan War.
The IAU has also approved Brown's suggested name of Dysnomia for Eris's satellite, which is about one-tenth Eris's size (see Moon discovered orbiting tenth planet). Dysnomia is the goddess of lawlessness and Eris's daughter in Greek mythology.
"Some of us felt it was quite an amusing name in view of what it actually means," says Brian Marsden, former director of the IAU's Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, which is responsible for keeping official lists of solar system objects. Marsden serves on the IAU committee responsible for naming dwarf planets.
Before Eris was officially named, Brown had nicknamed the object "Xena" after a television character. But he did not try to have that name officially approved, according to Tim Spahr, interim director of the MPC.
"That was just an affectionate name that was used," Spahr told New Scientist. "A lot of people name objects before they receive an official name. He didn't even suggest that for an official name."
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18:00 23 July 2008
