Want to help name hundreds of worlds beyond our own solar system?
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has made it possible for the general public to help name exoplanets - worlds beyond our Sun and solar system.
IAU is doing this in collaboration with Zooinverse which is the highly successful Internet citizen science site that allows everyone to participate in different science projects.
This IAU site lists the steps that will govern the naming process, all of which kicks off September 2014 and ends with the names being announced in August 2015.
Be sure to look at the list of the exoplanets to be named at this site. What is really cool is that the host star for many of these worlds is visible to the unaided eye. If you know where to look you can see the star and imagine the exoplanet(s) orbiting it - pretty amazing.
I may have to start taking pics of these host stars so we can all imagine their worlds together.
Sky Guy in VA
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