Friday, December 16, 2005
Planet George
Alaska is a great place for stargazing, especially in the winter. Long nights provide plenty of time to scan the heavens. One can trot outside and plop down in a snowbank and within a few minutes begins freezing from head to toe. Maybe it is not such a good idea after all! This brings us to the curious case of Planet George. Yes Planet George. Never heard of it? It does not fit into the mnemonic “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Peas?” Here are the facts. In 1781 an amateur astronomer and professional musician using a homemade telescope thought he saw a comet but after doing some calculations he realized that he had discovered a planet. Wishing to honor his benefactor, he decided to name it George in honor of George III. This did not set well with the Americans and the French who were busy fighting a war with “George.” Astronomers then stepped in and decided the planet should be named “Herschel” after its “discoverer” William Herschel. Heresy! If the planet was not fit for a king, then it certainly was not fit for an “commoner.” After a meeting of the minds it was decided that the new planet should be renamed for a god—a Greek god at that. It was christened “Uranus.” Since then a naming convention has been established that prohibits giving celestial objects political, religious or military names. No more planet Georges!
Alaska is a great place for stargazing, especially in the winter. Long nights provide plenty of time to scan the heavens. One can trot outside and plop down in a snowbank and within a few minutes begins freezing from head to toe. Maybe it is not such a good idea after all! This brings us to the curious case of Planet George. Yes Planet George. Never heard of it? It does not fit into the mnemonic “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Peas?” Here are the facts. In 1781 an amateur astronomer and professional musician using a homemade telescope thought he saw a comet but after doing some calculations he realized that he had discovered a planet. Wishing to honor his benefactor, he decided to name it George in honor of George III. This did not set well with the Americans and the French who were busy fighting a war with “George.” Astronomers then stepped in and decided the planet should be named “Herschel” after its “discoverer” William Herschel. Heresy! If the planet was not fit for a king, then it certainly was not fit for an “commoner.” After a meeting of the minds it was decided that the new planet should be renamed for a god—a Greek god at that. It was christened “Uranus.” Since then a naming convention has been established that prohibits giving celestial objects political, religious or military names. No more planet Georges!
