The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute is asking citizens of the world to vote online to help them choose the name of two of Pluto’s moons. Yes, Pluto is technically still a planet, though a new term, “dwarf planet” was added to classify it. Until 2011 it was believed that Pluto only had three moons, Charon, Nix and Hydra. The latter two are are so small that they’re incredibly difficult to see via telescope. The first new moon, currently called P4, was discovered by the Hubble telescope in 2011, and is only 13 to 34 km across. The fifth moon, P5, was found last summer and is even smaller.

The SETI Institute are now looking for help to name these two moons, and have created a site called “Pluto Rocks!” where people can vote for their favourite names. All the names follow the current Roman/Greek naming guidelines for our solar system, and they all have something to do with the god of the underworld that the planet is named after. There is also the option to fill out a write-in form if you think there’s a name not on the current list that should be considered. However, your suggestions have to follow the naming conventions set forth by the International Astronomical Union, which means they can’t be names already given to asteroids and they have to have something to do with the mythology of Pluto/Hades (sorry, that means that Mickey is out). You can vote until noon on February 25th, and they will use the totals to suggest two names to the IAU’s nomenclature committee, who has the final say.

[Via Wired]

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Megan Patterson is the Science and Technology Editor at Paper Droids and currently a Toronto Standard intern. She has also written for WORN Fashion Journal, Elevate, and Salon Magazines. She also tweets more than is healthy or wise. 

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