St. Cloud Times — Want to name an exoplanet? Make an internationally recognized mark in space with 16 characters or less?
Through its association with the International Astronomical Union, the St. Cloud State University planetarium gets to submit one proposal — an opportunity it’s extended to the community.
An exoplanet is one that’s outside our solar system. Since the first was discovered in 1992, nearly 2,000 other worlds have been discovered and confirmed by two sources; another 3,000 await a second confirmation. Twenty of the confirmed exoplanets will be named through a contest designed to pique interest in astronomy.
The entry deadline is 11:59 p.m. May 10. The local winner will be announced 8 a.m. May 15 and submitted to the IAU. The IAU winners will be announced in August.
Read more: http://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/2015/04/02/public-contest-will-name-exoplanets/70856076/
