WASHINGTON, March 23 (UPI) -- NASA scientists and officials at the International Astronomical Union (IAU) are asking for the public's help in naming the geological components of Pluto and Charon.
As of now, there aren't any geophysical features on Pluto to supply with names. That's because, as of now, even the sharpest images of Photo don't reveal much more than a series of colored blurry blobs. The same goes for Pluto's moon Charon.
Even Hubble, capable of capturing massive galaxies in stunning detail, can't exactly show astronomers the secrets of Pluto's surface. As of now, Hubble's photographs of Pluto and its moon are the best astronomers have.
But NASA's New Horizons probe is quickly approaching the dwarf planet and its moon. As it gets closer and closer -- culminating in first-ever flyby of the dwarf planet on July 14, 2015 -- the probe will be able to send back increasingly revealing high-res photos of Pluto and its lunar companion.
And when it does, the details of the two objects' surface features will emerge. Those blurry blobs will slowly become craters and crevices, rifts and valleys. And these features (or at least the most impressive and prominent ones) will require names. That's where the public comes in.
In cooperation with the International Astronomical Union, members of the New Horizons science team are requesting name ideas from the backyard astronomer and everyday science fans.
The best ideas will be incorporated into the New Horizons team's proposals to the IAU, the international group that approves all cosmic names.
Participants are encouraged to vote for names from a long list of options at the Our Pluto website. The options are organized in three categories: History of Exploration, Literature of Exploration and Mythology of the Underworld. Participants can also nominate names they don't see already listed.
Participation is open to the public through April 7, 2015.
