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RADIOLAB AND THE INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION (IAU) OPEN PUBLIC VOTING FOR THEIR QUASI-MOON NAMING CONTEST 

7 finalists were selected from almost 3,000 entries by an all-star panel of scientists, educators, students, journalists, and creatives, including 

BILL NYE “The Science Guy,” actor PENN BADGLEY, Professor SEAN CARROLL, Star Trek actress CELIA ROSE GOODING, and Dr. WANDA DIAZ MERCED, among others

International contest brings people together across the globe to name Earth’s companion asteroid 

Voting Period open through January 1, 2025

(New York – NY – December 2, 2024) –  RADIOLAB, one of the world’s most beloved and influential podcasts, and the International Astronomical Union (IAU) today announced the seven finalist names for their Quasi-Moon Naming Contest. 

The finalists were chosen from a pool of close to 3,000 entries submitted by people from more than 90 countries worldwide by a panel of teachers, students, astronomers, astrophysicists, journalists, and artists. International public voting on these names is open now and will continue through January 1, 2025. The winning name will be announced later in January.

“How lucky are we that we get to name something in space that will outlive us all?!” said Latif Nasser, co-host of Radiolab. “We paired up with the International Astronomical Union to make sure that anyone in the whole world can vote and hopefully find some wonder and inspiration along the way.  Narrowing down the thousands of submissions was hard, but I can’t wait to see which name the world chooses!”

“The Working Group was very impressed by the submissions that came in – it demonstrated the diversity of the way we all think about the cosmos,” shared Gareth Williams, the Secretary of the IAU Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature, and Kelly Blumenthal, Director of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach. “The whole panel really enjoyed learning about the world’s cultures in the process of reviewing these submissions. This was a special opportunity, and we’re excited to share it with the world!.”  

The finalist names were selected based on creativity and originality within the IAU’s naming convention, which requires that celestial bodies be rooted in mythology from cultures around the globe.

The finalist names are:

  • Bakunawa (Filipino)
  • Cardea (Roman)
  • Ehaema (Estonian)
  • Enkidu (Sumerian)
  • Ótr (Norse)
  • Tarriaksuk (Inuit)
  • Tecciztecatl (Aztec)

Full details for each name can be found here.

The Quasi-moon Naming Contest panelists included:

  • Bill Nye “The Science Guy,” legendary TV host, scientist, engineer, comedian, author, and inventor 
  • Penn Badgley, actor and producer best known for roles on “Gossip Girl” and “You”
  • Celia Rose Gooding, actor best known as Nyota Uhura on “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”
  • Jacob Pinter, producer and co-host of NASA’s “Curious Universe” podcast
  • Dr. Moiya McTier, astrophysicist, author and host of the “Exolore” and “Pale Blue Pod” podcasts
  • Salman Hameed, science educator and founder and CEO of Kainaat Studios
  • Dr. Sofia Rojas, postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles
  • Dr. Wanda Diaz Merced, astrophysicist and pioneer in sonification
  • Professor Sean Carroll, author and Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University

For a full list of panelists and their biographies, click here.

BACKGROUND ON THE RADIOLAB / IAU COLLABORATION 

Earlier this year, Nasser noticed a mysterious object on a poster of the Solar System in his son’s room while reading him a bedtime story. His investigation into “Zoozve” –  a space object called a quasi-moon that isn’t a moon, but can appear to be one – led him all the way to the IAU and, eventually, a successful petition to officially rename this quasi-moon. The journey was documented on a Radiolab episode and a thread on X (formerly Twitter) from Nasser that went viral, opening the door for listeners to learn more about this fascinating class of objects. 

In May 2024, Radiolab and the IAU joined forces to launch a contest that would enable everyone to name one of Earth’s quasi-moons.  

WHAT’S A QUASI-MOON? 

Quasi-moons are asteroids that can appear to be orbiting a planet but, in actuality, are orbiting the Sun in a trajectory similar to that of the planet. Unlike an actual moon, quasi-moons are only a temporary companion whose orbit will eventually take them away from a planet’s path.

ABOUT RADIOLAB

Radiolab is a public radio show and podcast from WNYC Studios that takes listeners on a curiosity bender. We ask deep questions and use investigative journalism to get the answers. A given episode might whirl you through science, legal history, and into the home of someone halfway across the world. The show is known for innovative sound design, smashing information into music. It is hosted by Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser. Founded in 2002, Radiolab has been named one of “10 non-fiction podcasts that changed everything,” “revolutionary” and a pioneer in narrative sound design (Vulture) and has been honored with two Peabody Awards. Radiolab was ranked among the top 50 U.S. podcasts by Edison Research in 2024.

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together more than 12,000 active professional astronomers from more than 100 countries worldwide. Its mission is to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication, education and development, through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world’s largest professional body for astronomers.