Cypriots to name exoplanet this year

Members of the public in 100 countries, including Cyprus, will soon have an opportunity to vote on a name to be given to an exoplanet by the end of the year.

Following the accession of the Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation into the International Astronomical Union last year, a campaign will soon begin in the Republic of Cyprus as well as other countries that participate in the IAU.

The IAU, founded a century ago in 1919, is the authority responsible for assigning official designations and names to celestial bodies. While celebrating its first 100 years of fostering international collaboration (IAU100), it aims to contribute to the fraternity of all people with a significant token of global identity.

The national campaigns will be carried out from June to November 2019 and, after final validation by the IAU100 NameExoWorlds Steering Committee, the global results will be announced in December 2019.

Non-Governmental Organizations interested in carrying out a nation-wide contest had until July 30 to express interest in organizing a campaign at a national level. CSEO became an official national member of IAU last August and is now able to vote for decisions taken by the international organization, whose mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation.

More details on Friday

According to CNA sources, a campaign will soon begin involving the people of Cyprus, while more details about the campaign, voting deadlines, the date of the final announcement of the name as well as the exoplanet itself, its distance from the Earth, its composition etc, will be announced during a press conference that will take place on Friday.