Things about naming asteroids: Stars that cost money are not good stars

Produced by: Science Popularization China

Produced by: Su Zian

Producer: Computer Network Information Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Recently, a shopping website sent me a link - a star naming rights certificate. With curiosity, I clicked on the link and found that it was a website that sells asteroid naming rights. In simple terms, you can buy a star here and give it a name. The star will be saved in a database and can be queried in their APP.

Kant once said, "There are two things that the more I think about them, the more amazing they become, and the more I feel in awe: the starry sky above me and the moral principles within me." Imagine that there is a star named after you and exists only for you. This is indeed a very romantic thing. Coincidentally, many fans have also bought the naming rights of asteroids for their idols.

But in fact, all the star naming rights that can be purchased on the market are not real, but just a commercial act with entertainment. Do you want to stop being fleeced by similar "romantic taxes"? First of all, you have to figure out who the naming rights of stars belong to.

How are stars named?

The stars we talk about are actually celestial bodies in the universe, and different celestial bodies are named differently.

Let's start with the brightest stars. Since there are so many stars, the academic community is too lazy to name them, so basically no one will buy the naming rights for stars.

The current naming method in the West is to name the stars in a constellation according to their brightness. This was proposed by the German (amateur) astronomer Bayer. Each star is named by the name of the constellation plus a Greek letter. For example, Alpha Orionis (Betelgeuse) refers to the brightest star in Orion, and so on. If the number of stars in a constellation exceeds 24 Greek letters, lowercase letters (a, b, c...) will continue to be used. If it is still not enough, uppercase letters (A, B, C...) will be used. See, how straightforward and simple.

In ancient China, the stars were named according to legends or the positions of the stars, such as Vega, Altair, Tianguanxing, Beiluoshimen, etc. This system is not very rigorous, because the Three Enclosures and the Twenty-Eight Mansions do not include all the stars in the current constellations in the sky. However, there is so much cultural beauty behind these names. Aren’t those legends as beautiful as the starry sky?

Image source: provided by the author

Excluding stars, the only things that can be named are asteroids and comets. Unfortunately, comets are named after their discoverers, so this option is no longer available.

At present, among all kinds of celestial bodies, only asteroids can be nominated according to the will of the discoverer and approved by the International Astronomical Union to become internationally recognized celestial bodies. However, naming an asteroid is a serious matter, and the name must be unique and cannot be changed once it is determined. This also makes being named an asteroid a world-recognized honor.

Image source: provided by the author

Can the naming rights for an asteroid be purchased?

Currently, the names of asteroids consist of two parts: the first part is a permanent number, and the second part is a name. The International Asteroid Nomination Committee generally names asteroids based on the discoverer's proposal, so the naming rights of asteroids belong to the discoverer.

In that case, is it possible to purchase the naming rights?

The answer is no. I guess there are many people who have this idea. The International Astronomical Union has made a special statement: "This union is an international scientific organization and will never get involved in any commercial transactions of star names or names of land on the surface of planets. If you still want to buy after reading our explanation, those who make money from you will be very happy."

What if you want to buy the naming rights for an asteroid from the discoverer? There is an unwritten rule that discoverers or institutions cannot sell the naming rights for an asteroid. Moreover, even if the discoverer wants to name an asteroid, he or she still needs to go through a cumbersome process.

First, an international organization must confirm that the asteroid has never been discovered. Once confirmed, the asteroid will be given a permanent number. Within the next ten years, the discoverer of the asteroid will have the right to apply for a name for the asteroid.

The application process includes proposing the name to the Small Body Nomenclature Committee, with a brief introduction explaining the reason for the name; a working group of 15 professional astronomers reviews the name; and once the review is passed, it is announced to the world by the International Astronomical Union.

In addition, the naming of asteroids needs to follow a series of principles. The updated asteroid naming principles in November 2020 are reproduced below:

1. You cannot name yourself (but two discoverers can cross-name each other);

2. The length cannot exceed 16 characters (including spaces and punctuation marks);

3. It is best to use a single word;

4. Can spell and speak in certain languages;

5. No offensive words are allowed;

6. The name cannot be too similar to an existing asteroid;

7. Pet names are not allowed as names;

8. Commercial names are not allowed;

9. Names of political, military or religious events are not allowed (unless the relevant person has been dead for more than 100 years or the event took place 100 years ago);

10. Cannot be a controversial politician (regardless of how long ago they died);

11. Intellectual property rights must be respected;

12. It must be proven that the name already exists;

13. The name must be freely available to the public.

It is worth noting that all asteroid naming information can be found on the website of the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center, so it is easy to tell whether the naming rights are real or fake. In general, the naming rights of stars that can be purchased on the market are not real.

What are the names of the discovered asteroids?

Compared with Western countries, China started exploring asteroids later, but has already discovered quite a few. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 80 asteroids named after Chinese elements, including:

Named after Chinese place names, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, etc. (China's 34 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions have corresponding asteroids named after administrative regions, such as Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, etc., only Shanxi Province is currently still named Taiyuan);

Named after Chinese myths and legends or major events, such as Nuwa, Chang'e, Ruihua (meaning China's lucky star, this is also the first asteroid discovered by China), Zhonghua, China, Tolerance, Shenzhou, Wenling Shuguang, Olympic Volunteer, Xiuyan Jade, Beijing Olympics, Lucy, Potato, Bowen Yueli, Wenchuan (in the shape of a heart), Tsou, Bunun, Zhulong, etc.

Image source: provided by the author

Named after famous ancient figures, such as Zhang Heng, Zu Chongzhi, Confucius, Laozi, Sima Qian, Ming Antu, Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Dongpo, Guo Shoujing, etc.;

They are named after modern scientists, such as Li Siguang, Wu Jianxiong, Zhang Yuzhe, Wang Shouguan, Ye Shuhua, Dai Wensai, Zhou Guangzhao, Ye Peijian, Wu Rukang, etc.

In addition, there are some fans who chase stars with their strength and openly name the discovered asteroids after their idols. For example, Jay Chou has a song called "Flying Diary of Love", in which there is a line "Find a star, just to name it for you", and the origin of this line is related to the naming rights of asteroids. Four astronomy enthusiasts from both sides of the Taiwan Strait discovered an asteroid through joint observation. Since they all like Jay Chou very much, they discussed and decided to name the asteroid Jay Chou Star.

But such examples are indeed rare. Apart from Chow Yun-fat, Brigitte Lin, Wong Ka Kui, Yao Beina, Teresa Teng, Andy Lau, Louis Koo, Leslie Cheung, and Anita Mui (all named by the same person), only Jay Chou owns a real asteroid.

The starry sky is free. This beauty does not require any money. You only need to look up to see it. There are countless beautiful legends and secrets waiting for us to explore. The vast stars are always calling us. A star that costs money is not a good star!

However, we cannot completely regard "buying the naming rights of an asteroid for our idol" as a gift and calling it an IQ tax. After all, it is a lucky thing to have someone give you a gift. There is no difference between good and bad gifts. The most important thing is that someone remembers you with their heart. Finally, I wish all students can receive their favorite gifts!

Image source: provided by the author