What To Name Planets Around Proxima Centauri?

[ProtoJeb21]

So recently, the ESO confirmed the existence of an Earth-mass planet around our nearest star, the midgety red dwarf Proxima Centauri. Because of how monumental this discovery is, it's only fitting to give Proxima b a name. What do you think it should be named? Also, since there appears to be at least one other hard-to-detect planet in the system, what should other planets orbiting Proxima be named?

I like to call Proxima b Feronia, after the Roman goddess of the Earth, nature, health, and fertility. Since this system is so close to us, I feel like giving it the Greco-Roman naming convention we use for our solar system.

[Shpaget]

It would be a poor name if it turns out it's a scorched dry desert, as it probably is.

[ProtoJeb21]

1 minute ago, Shpaget said:

It would be a poor name if it turns out it's a scorched dry desert, as it probably is.

Only if the orbital eccentricity is high. If not, then it could either be a Warm Terra or a Temperate Desert. Let's hope for a low eccentricity....

[Superfluous J]

Based on what I've seen in No Man's Sky, I think it'll likely be named

• Planet McPlanetyFace
• Poopworld
• <Name>'s Awesome Planet

[Findthepin1]

2 minutes ago, ProtoJeb21 said:

Only if the orbital eccentricity is high. If not, then it could either be a Warm Terra or a Temperate Desert. Let's hope for a low eccentricity....

Its equilibrium temperature is -39 degrees Celsius. That's 21 degrees lower than Earth. It's probably colder, then, even with a thicker atmosphere, IMO. 

[Bill Phil]

I'd say we shouldn't name it until someone or thing goes there.

[Green Baron]

 

Of course, you can call it as you like, no problem ... buuuut, the discoverer(s) have to right to name an object and they sticked to the usual nomenclature.

Just sayin'

:-)

 

[GoSlash27]

4 hours ago, 5thHorseman said:

Based on what I've seen in No Man's Sky, I think it'll likely be named

• Planet McPlanetyFace
• Poopworld
• <Name>'s Awesome Planet

Planet "Bob".

 

[CptRichardson]

It shall be named by committee, only after we figure out what we're dealing with. It's our closest neighbor ever, and the only exoplanet that can be feasibly be visited within a human lifetime depending on how crazy we book it.  We've got one shot to properly naming this sort of thing, we need to get it right.

 

Or we could call it 'Bob'. Bob works.

[Robotengineer]

On August 25, 2016 at 2:56 PM, 5thHorseman said:

Based on what I've seen in No Man's Sky, I think it'll likely be named

• Planet McPlanetyFace
• Poopworld
• <Name>'s Awesome Planet

Forgot Harambe memes. 

On August 25, 2016 at 3:41 PM, Bill Phil said:

I'd say we shouldn't name it until someone or thing goes there.

Like we did with all the celestial bodies in the solar system? 

Just don't let the people at http://nameexoworlds.iau.org name it.

Checkout this proposal for Epsilon Eridani (a perfectly fine name to begin with) and its planet.

"Gejalbis 
Our group has realized it would be a best option to create a random name with no meaning for both the star and the planet, remembering that each and every word in all languages were, in the beginning no more than a random sound to which was used to represent a concept. To give a clearer example, much before becoming the name of the biggest planet of our Solar System, “Jupiter” was only a sound that was used by the first Latins to refer to their god of the storms (and then the planet). By proposing such names, we intend to create a similar effect."

"Stafar31 
Considering there is no known information of how the planet looks like, only artistic conceptions, we can’t name this planet after its appearence (like Neptune, which has been named after the roman sea god because of its bluish color). Therefore, we suggest a name that has no meaning behind it with a random number" 

Proxima Centauri B is a fine name. 

Edited August 27, 2016 by Robotengineer
Alpha Centauri B?! What was I thinking?

[UmbralRaptor]

Proxima Cen b

 

Clever mythological name can wait until we have some actual data on it. (And confirmation that it exists)

 

3 minutes ago, Robotengineer said:

Alpha Centauri B is a fine name. 

Er, there's already a star with that name.

Edited August 26, 2016 by UmbralRaptor

[Scotius]

Tema. TErra-MArs. It's from polish sci-fi book aptly named "Proxima" - in which crew of interstellar expedition finds a (barely) habitable planet that is the size of Earth, but the climate is more similiar to Mars (except from oases artificially created by aliens to help preserve local life that thrived in the past, before climate deteriorated.)

[Ten Key]

Erythro?

[Motokid600]

 

 

 

[Mitchz95]

I think it's best to wait until we know more about it. Until then, we might as well just call it Prox b.

Potential names from literature: Per Ardua, Furon, Trisolaris.

[legoclone09]

1 hour ago, Robotengineer said:

Forgot Harambe memes. 

I vote to call the planet Haramberniesanders.

[Mycroft]

Probably not the most unique idea, but we should name one after @HarvesteR.

[GDJ]

I vote for "Bob".

 

[Rakaydos]

Wunderland

 

Named for famus science fiction worlds around the same stars.

Edited August 26, 2016 by Rakaydos

[Streetwind]

Not really, no. Wunderland was in orbit around the binary system Alpha Centauri, not around Proxima Centaury which is a different star (albeit a good buddy of the binary pair).

Still one of the better suggestions in this thread - it's easy to pronounce in many languages, and suggests a sense of awe at the discovery.

[kerbiloid]

Ereshkigal as she lurks in a murrey dusk and is dry and lifeless.

Nephthys if things are not so bad.

Also, there is a lack of Ancient Egyptian deities in the sky, while Toliman & Proxima give a decent possibility.

[KSK]

Chiron of course. Known to its eventual residents simply as Planet.

[Kryten]

If you want to be proper, the current name isn't Proxima b, it's Alpha Centauri Cb. Proxima b is already a widely accepted colloquial name, so why not keep using that?

[DDE]

13 hours ago, 5thHorseman said:

Based on what I've seen in No Man's Sky, I think it'll likely be named

• Planet McPlanetyFace
• Poopworld
• <Name>'s Awesome Planet

You made me!

I vote for Kepler 296 B variant.

Edited August 26, 2016 by DDE

[Nikolai]

15 hours ago, Findthepin1 said:

Its equilibrium temperature is -39 degrees Celsius. That's 21 degrees lower than Earth. It's probably colder, then, even with a thicker atmosphere, IMO.

Just the opposite, actually, if the planet in question has greenhouse gases.

http://www.astro.princeton.edu/~strauss/FRS113/writeup3/