Capt. Kirk's 'Vulcan' tops name for new Pluto moons
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - "Star Trek" fans, rejoice.
An online vote to name Pluto's two newest, itty-bitty moons is over. And the winner is Vulcan, a name suggested by actor William Shatner, who played Capt. Kirk in the original "Star Trek" TV series.
All of the potential names had to come from Greek or Roman mythology, and deal with the underworld. Vulcan was the Roman god of lava and smoke, and the nephew of Pluto. Vulcan was also the home planet of the pointy-eared humanoids in the "Star Trek" shows. Think Mr. Spock.
In second place was Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guarded the gates of the underworld.
In all, more than 450,000 online votes were cast over the past two weeks.
The International Astronomical Union has the final say.
An online vote to name Pluto's two newest, itty-bitty moons is over. And the winner is Vulcan, a name suggested by actor William Shatner, who played Capt. Kirk in the original "Star Trek" TV series.
All of the potential names had to come from Greek or Roman mythology, and deal with the underworld. Vulcan was the Roman god of lava and smoke, and the nephew of Pluto. Vulcan was also the home planet of the pointy-eared humanoids in the "Star Trek" shows. Think Mr. Spock.
In second place was Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guarded the gates of the underworld.
In all, more than 450,000 online votes were cast over the past two weeks.
The International Astronomical Union has the final say.
B.T.T.F. i'm 19 & get it
My name is Darth Vader. I am an extra-terrestrial from the planet Vulcan!
(no one under age 30 is likely to get that)Â
@Hadrian Wrong. I'm well under 30, and that's one of my favorite movies.
@Hadrian phone home, Luke, it is the only logical thing to do
@Hadrian Helloooo, McFly. LOL. And yes I am much older than 30 and now feeling nostalgic enough to watch it today. Thanks for the reminder.
@Robinsnest It's a classic. :] Â
Persephone should be in the mix. Pluto abducted her, just as the planet probably abducted a rock passing by to become a moon.
Pluto was partly named for Percival Lowell who began the effort to discover Pluto, although it wasn't discovered until 14 years after his death. Just a little bit of family history we are proud of. To me, Pluto is a "real" planet.
@Robinsnest I saw a great bumper sticker that says:  Awww.  Let Pluto be a planet.
I want one! Â :-)
@Robinsnest I think those dolts who voted to un-planet Pluto need to take another look.  It has a lot of moons for not being a planet.  Long live Pluto!
Gee for something that wasn't classified as a planet it's amazing how many moons it has.