• Question: Why did an eleven year old girl name pluto?

    Asked by bubble to Arlene, Colin, David, Eugene, Paul on 18 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Paul Higgins

      Paul Higgins answered on 18 Nov 2012:

      If my memory serves me, that was the name of her dog (pluto, after the roman god), and she told her dad that’s what she wanted to call the planet he discovered… Her dad must have thought that was a good name.

    • Photo: Colin Johnston

      Colin Johnston answered on 19 Nov 2012:

      Pluto was discovered at Lowell Observatory (founded by Percival Lowell to help with his two obsessions, looking for life on Mars and trying to find a new planet). The observatory received hundreds of suggestions for names from the public. 11 year old Venetia Burney suggested Pluto as in Greek mythology this was the name of the gloomy god of the Underworld and seemed appropriate for a cold distant planet. Staff at the observatory voted Pluto as the best name (it helped the first two letters were Percival Lowell’s initials).

      The cartoon dog was named after the planet.

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