Though Pluto has been demoted from planetary status, its family just keeps growing. Now the two midget moons of Pluto need names– chosen by you!
These tiny celestial bodies measure just 15 to 20 miles across. Even though they have been discovered over a year ago, they are still recognized as P4 and P5. They will join their brothers and sister, Charon, Nix, and Hydra, in a close knit family of objects orbiting Pluto.
Because all the names of these objects relate to the underworld in Greek mythology, it seems just that these two get the same. The SETI institute has just launched a new site, in which you can vote on the names for Pluto’s moons. All of them have some tie with the Underworld. For example, Cerberus is the three-headed dog that guards the entrance to the Underworld, Styx is the river that runs through it, and Persephone is the Queen. Despite a large selection of pre-chosen names, you can submit your own if you choose.
Voting will be open until midnight on February 24, when P4 and P5’s winning names will be taken to International Astronomical Union so the satellite pair can officially be named.
http://www.plutorocks.com/home
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57568689/help-scientists-name-plutos-moons/