Star, exoplanet named after Tagalog mythological deities
Published Dec 18, 2019 12:00 am
By Ellalyn De Vera
A star and exoplanet have been named after water deities from Tagalog mythology, announced the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on Tuesday.
International Astronomical Union (IAU) (IAU)
“Aman Sinaya” and “Haik” were Paul Go’s winning entries to the Paris-based IAU’s Name ExoWorld Philippine Campaign.
IAU is the authority responsible for assigning official designations and names to celestial bodies.
Star Wasp 34 named “Aman Sinaya” and exoplanet Wasp 34-b named “Haik” were among the 112 exoplanet systems named in this year’s Name ExoWorlds campaigns.
Aman Sinaya is the primordial deity of the ocean and protector of fishermen. Haik is the successor of Aman Sinaya as god of the sea.
“Astronomical observations over the past generation have now discovered over 4,000 planets orbiting other stars — called exoplanets,” Eric Mamajek, co-chair of the NameExoWorlds Steering Committee, said in a statement.
“The number of discoveries continues to double about every 2½ years, revealing remarkable new planet populations and putting our own Earth and Solar System in perspective. Statistically, most of the stars in the sky are likely to be orbited by their own planets — they are everywhere,” he said.
“While astronomers catalogue their new discoveries using telephone-number-like designations, there has been growing interest amongst astronomers and the public alike in also assigning proper names, as is done for Solar System bodies,” Mamajek added.
The IAU 100 Name ExoWorlds global project was conceived to create awareness of our place in the Universe and to reflect on how the Earth would potentially be perceived by a civilization on another planet, IAU said.
International Astronomical Union (IAU) (IAU)
“Aman Sinaya” and “Haik” were Paul Go’s winning entries to the Paris-based IAU’s Name ExoWorld Philippine Campaign.
IAU is the authority responsible for assigning official designations and names to celestial bodies.
Star Wasp 34 named “Aman Sinaya” and exoplanet Wasp 34-b named “Haik” were among the 112 exoplanet systems named in this year’s Name ExoWorlds campaigns.
Aman Sinaya is the primordial deity of the ocean and protector of fishermen. Haik is the successor of Aman Sinaya as god of the sea.
“Astronomical observations over the past generation have now discovered over 4,000 planets orbiting other stars — called exoplanets,” Eric Mamajek, co-chair of the NameExoWorlds Steering Committee, said in a statement.
“The number of discoveries continues to double about every 2½ years, revealing remarkable new planet populations and putting our own Earth and Solar System in perspective. Statistically, most of the stars in the sky are likely to be orbited by their own planets — they are everywhere,” he said.
“While astronomers catalogue their new discoveries using telephone-number-like designations, there has been growing interest amongst astronomers and the public alike in also assigning proper names, as is done for Solar System bodies,” Mamajek added.
The IAU 100 Name ExoWorlds global project was conceived to create awareness of our place in the Universe and to reflect on how the Earth would potentially be perceived by a civilization on another planet, IAU said.