Want to name a newly-discovered exoplanet? Here’s your chance

If you’ve ever imagined naming a celestial body, the International Astronomical Union has a contest for you.

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With the recent discovery of previously unseen exoplanetary systems by the James Webb Space Telescope, the IAU — the organization in charge of naming celestial objects — is inviting the public to join in the fun of naming a newly discovered system.

An exoplanetary system is any planet beyond our solar system generally orbiting a star, though some may be free-floating.

If you want to name a system, the IAU has some rules to follow:

• You are naming an exoplanet and the star it is tethered to. You must form a team that includes students and teachers, astronomy enthusiasts, amateur astronomers, and professional astronomers.
• You are not going to be able to name the system after yourself, unless your name has a long-standing cultural, geographic or historical significance.
• Indigenous names are encouraged, but any team submitting one must be led by a member of that Indigenous community.
• The names of the exoplanet and the star need to follow the same theme.
• No names related to political, military or religious activities are allowed.
• After the names are selected, the team is required to host a community outreach event that helps the public understand exoplanets. After that event, the team needs to submit a written and video proposal that includes the names and justifications for their choices.
• The video cannot be more than three minutes long, and the essay should not exceed 300 words. The team will also have to write a report no longer than 300 words on their public outreach initiative and submit photos or videos of the event.
• Teams have until Nov. 11, 2022 to submit the names.

National vetting processes will take place between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15, 2022, and each country will select one proposal along with two backups, according to the IAU website.

After the proposal is submitted from each country, an international committee will decide the winners.

The winning names will be announced on March 20, 2023.

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