* Posts by jlgalache

1 publicly visible post • joined 7 Jul 2013

Star bosses name asteroid to honor author Iain Banks

jlgalache

Why it couldn't be named IainMbanks

As the person who submitted the name request to the IAU, I'd like to clarify that one of the rules of asteroid nomenclature is that the name be a single word, pronounceable in its original language. As such, Iainmbanks did not qualify. It was my first choice but I was quickly informed it wouldn't fly, so Iainbanks it had to be. The other option was Iainmenziesbanks, which just seemed too wordy.

There's another rule that says you can't name more than one asteroid after any given person, so I'm afraid one asteroid is all Iain is getting.

Cheers,

—JL Galache

Minor Planet Center