Vulcan Takes The Lead

It is, after all, the logical choice.

At this writing Vulcan is far out in front of an online poll to name two recently-discovered moons of Pluto, with over 100,000 votes. Cerberus and Styx continue to be the next most popular nominees.

A tweet by William Shatner prompted the host of Pluto Rocks, SETI’s Mark Showalter, to add Vulcan to the original list.

Showalter also added eight other write-ins to the official ballot last week — Elysium, Hecate, Melinoe, Orthrus, Sisyphus, Tantalus, Tartarus, and Thanatos. (See explanations at About the Names.) Thanatos has received the most votes among these newcomers, though it remains far back in the field.

Voting on the Pluto Rocks website ends February 25. SETI will review the contest and make recommendations for naming P4 and P5. The International Astronomical Union is responsible for naming the moons and has the final say.

One thought on “Vulcan Takes The Lead

  1. I still say Vulcan should be reserved for a planet orbiting one of the stars of 40 Eridani.

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