Neptune Has A New Moon. What Will We Call It?
New Moon For Neptune NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI) Naming things in space can get political. Earlier today, NASA announced the Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a brand new moon in the solar system, a dim satellite only 12 miles across, orbiting Neptune. As with any newborn, it needs a name. How will astronomers decide what to call it? Right now, the moon's tag is S/2004 N1. It's a bit of a mouthful to toss out in casual conversation, but it signifies that it's the first satellite discovered in 2004 around Neptune. (Though only identified this month, the moon was discovered through archival images of Neptune taken by Hubble between 2004 and 2009.) Eventually, N1 will have a more noble title bestowed on it, probably something plucked from classical mythology. The discoverer of the moon gets to suggest a name, but the final say on moon-naming goes to the International...