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back to article Public told to go to hell, name Pluto's two new moons

A poll has been opened to decide the names for two newly discovered moons of Pluto, and so far the response has been phenomenal, the SETI Institute told El Reg. The two moons, the fourth and fifth found to be orbiting Pluto, have been provisionally named P4 and P5, but now the SETI Institute has teamed up with the …

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  1. Why Not?
    Alien

    Gotta be

    Pinky & Perky!

    4 3
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Coat

      Re: Gotta be

      Barry and Paul

      3 0
  2. JimC
    FAIL

    I was about to try and get the first post

    with a sarky comment aout how many fatuous suggestions would be posted here instead of posted on the appropriate site, but I see that...

    6 0
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Devil

      Re: I was about to try and get the first post

      "I was about to try and get the first post with a sarky comment aout how many fatuous suggestions would be posted here instead of posted on the appropriate site, but I see that..."

      So you won't be supporting my proposals for Dagnut and Winnit?

      Mind you, that fool Showalter missed the heaven-sent opportunity of applying those names to the couple of moons around Uranus, and instead went with some Shakespearean nonsense.

      2 0
  3. Mystic Megabyte
    Coat

    press 2 for

    BT and Helpdesk?

    2 0
  4. Ryan 7
    WTF?

    Inexplicably omitted from the article, here's the poll for your convenience

    http://www.plutorocks.com/

    3 0
  5. Piro Silver badge
    Pint

    Thanks,.

    Wondered why that was missing.

    1 0
  6. Steven Roper
    Thumb Up

    Styx and Lethe?

    Well, if Hadean rivers are permitted, one of the moons at least has got be called Acheron!

    1 0
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Styx and Lethe?

      River from Hell? That would be the Tees...

      0 0
      1. Steven Roper
        Reply Icon
        Thumb Up

        Re: Styx and Lethe?

        Well, I was actually thinking of LV-426 when I said Acheron, but your point is also taken!

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      2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
        Reply Icon
        Pint

        "River from Hell? That would be the Tees..."

        Nah, that would be the river TO Hell. It's quite nice when you get up river into Teesdale and the like.

        0 0
  7. Oninoshiko
    Stop

    Hrm?

    are things orbiting non-planets still considered moons?

    0 0
    1. jai
      Reply Icon

      Re: Hrm?

      "that's no moon!"

      2 0
    2. Ru
      Reply Icon

      Re: Hrm?

      are things orbiting non-planets still considered moons

      Well, things orbiting stars might get called planets or comets, for example ;-)

      But yes: the requirements for moonhood are quite simple; be a natural satellite orbiting a larger body. Everything else is a bit fuzzy, especially as regards size (generally >1km diameter, but 1862 Apollo has an 80m diameter satellite) and size relative to its primary (where the two are similar, it is more like a binary planetary or asteroid system... Pluto and Charon are borderline), but there don't seem to be a whole load of disputes.

      1 1
      1. Oninoshiko
        Reply Icon
        Thumb Up

        Re: Hrm?

        FTR: I'm the one who thumb-upped you, mostly because I didn't think you deserved to be thumb-downed.

        I liked your post, while mine was 1/2 in jest, it was only half. Your post was informative. I didn't know the official definition of "moon" was so vague.

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  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    As the names have to be from the underworld, then I vote for...

    Steve

    and

    Jobs

    :-)

    7 0
    1. Ole Juul
      Reply Icon

      Re: As the names have to be from the underworld, then I vote for...

      Attempts to nominate current celebrities will not be accepted

      Which might be a missed funding opportunity. How much would the highest bidder pay to get their name in the sky?

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  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Are we naming all specks of dust now ?

    Pluto's no longer a planet, are there public polls of everything in the Keplar belt too ?

    Is this the XFactor for the Solar System - I'm sure I used to play a role play game that had a system for generating this kinda crap.

    2 2
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Coat

      @AC Re: Are we naming all specks of dust now ?

      Don't go hating on Pluto, just because it's a Mickey Mouse planet!!! (Yes, I actually went there!!)

      Putting on my space suit before Reginistas blow me out the airlock.....

      3 1
  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Twin moons

    “the names must relate to the classical underworld”

    Ronnie & Reggie?

    12 0
    1. Francis Boyle Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Since we're restricted to the classics

      surely that should be "Doug and Dinsdale".

      8 0
  11. Joe Cooper

    I guess Van, Halen are out :(

    0 0
  12. Anonymous Coward
    Pirate

    Related to the underworld and Roman or Greek?

    1) Acheron and Styx

    2) Benito and Mussolini?

    1 0
    1. Yet Another Commentard
      Reply Icon

      Re: Related to the underworld and Roman or Greek?

      I had thought about "Dis" (term for Pluto, also Satan), but the other moon would end obviously up as "Dat".

      2 0
      1. Coldwind104
        Reply Icon

        Re: Related to the underworld and Roman or Greek?

        "term for Pluto, also Satan"

        I suppose it's not worth pointing out that Abrahamic cultural appropriation notwithstanding, the underworld of the classical religious traditions was not, in fact, the Judeo-Christian Hell, and its ruler was really not the Christian Devil?

        It probably isn't. After all, the lamentable 'Clash of the Titans' remake, and 'Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief' pretty much ruled that they're the same thing.

        On the other hand, I suppose from a Christian point of view, 'Dis' being a 'false god', His name is as much a name for Satan as that of Mars, or Neptune, or Venus...

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    2. Jedit Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Headmaster

      "Acheron and Styx"

      If you're going to name them for a pair of rivers, Phlegethon and Styx would be more appropriate. The water nymph Styx (for whom the river is named) was in love with the fire spirit Phlegethon, but died at his touch.

      2 0
  13. Daniel B.
    Joke

    And here was me

    Expecting them to be called Mickey & Goofy.

    7 0
  14. stucs201

    Stick with the dog theme

    One of them has to be Cerberus.

    6 0
    1. Martin Budden Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Childcatcher

      Re: Stick with the dog theme

      Yes, if for no other reason than to educate the young masses where JKR stole Fluffy from.

      5 1

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  16. Blofeld's Cat
    Devil

    Well...

    Yavin 4 and ... er ... hang on that's not a moon.

    4 1
  17. Rampant Spaniel

    Calvin and Hobbers :)

    2 0
  18. Robin Bradshaw

    Bah annoying rules

    Id have suggested xkcd and minutephysics

    0 0
  19. Winkypop Silver badge
    Devil

    Cerberus and Hercules

    What better than a dog fight around Pluto?

    3 0
  20. proto-robbie
    Thumb Down

    Unfortunate that...

    ...BOFH and PFY do not seem Greek or Roman, classics though they may be.

    3 0
    1. Callam McMillan
      Reply Icon

      Re: Unfortunate that...

      Do you think the BOFH would tolerate a rock where the internet connection has a multi-day ping time?

      1 0
      1. IglooDude
        Reply Icon
        Devil

        Re: Unfortunate that...

        Of course, he'd proxy all the PHB's internet traffic through it.

        0 0
    2. Christos Georgiou
      Reply Icon
      Coat

      Re: Unfortunate that...

      Just follow some transliteration rules, and you're set:

      Bophis and Piphys

      Now, a quick edit in Wikipedia introducing these relatively unknown minor Hades-related deities *just* before the committee verifies the entry, and Bobus is your uncle.

      0 0
  21. Frumious Bandersnatch

    offenbach

    The pair of them. Cos maybe now they'll reconfirm Pluto's off-again, on-again status on the list of planets. Well OK, Orpheus and Hades it is then...

    2 0
    1. JohnG
      Reply Icon

      Re: offenbach

      ...but Offenbach is just a small shitty town to the east of Frankfurt, fast becoming yet another Turkish enclave.

      0 0
  22. et tu, brute?
    Gimp

    Staying with the doggies...

    ...would surely make it Cerberus and Orthus, his doublet, especially as the rocks seem to be the same size, which means they must be brothers!

    3 0
  23. Neil Barnes Silver badge
    Coat

    Wasn't Pluto named by Tonbough's daughter for the Disney character?

    In which case, Mickey and Minnie seem logical...

    0 1
    1. Anonymous Custard
      Reply Icon

      Re: Wasn't Pluto named by Tonbough's daughter for the Disney character?

      When they said underworld and hell, I don't think they had Disneyland in mind.

      That said I must admit when I read the article my first thoughts were also Mickey and Minnie (until I got to the limitations bit).

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    2. Coldwind104
      Reply Icon

      Re: Wasn't Pluto named by Tonbough's daughter for the Disney character?

      No. It was named by Venetia Burney from Oxford. And she named it for the god. At 11 years old, she was interested in the mythology of the classical cultures. Kids, huh? Tsk. Of course, then Facebook came along and made childhood so much more... something.

      0 0
  24. Danny 14
    Paris Hilton

    posh and becks

    Would pluto be far enough away for them to go?

    2 0
  25. MJI Silver badge

    Greek Mythology

    I want Kratos!

    0 1
  26. jai

    wish we could name them "#itIsAPlanet" and "#damnit!"

    1 0
  27. Pooka

    I don't think I've got the right Underworld.....

    Barnstyle and Sappy's Curry

    Shudder and King of Snake

    Rez and Cowgirl

    Emerson and Hyde?

    2 0
  28. MJI Silver badge

    Some of those are Bristol Siddley

    Orpheus

    Hercules

    0 0
  29. Seeking wisdom

    So obvious - Mik3y & Minnie. Without them Pluto will feel rather lonely!

    2 0

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