Zoozve is Here to Stay

Last month, we brought you the story of Zoozve, the moon of Venus. The name was a misunderstanding of an asteroid, described as a quasi-moon, provisionally designated 2002-VE. John Farrier suggested we keep using the name Zoozve, and so did Latif Nasser, who first noticed the name on a child's poster of the solar system. Nasser took the story to Radiolab, and consulted those who make such decisions for the podcast. Not long after, the name Zoozve has become official.

The International Astronomical Union's Working Group on Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) has adopted the name Zoozve for the asteroid, on page nine of their bulletin issued yesterday. Wikipedia has already updated their entry to reflect the story of the heavenly body's new name.

There are guidelines for naming astronomical objects, and Zoozve works for a satellite because it contains "ve" for Venus. However, as a quasi-satellite, a majority of votes among the WGSBN sufficed. Besides, Zoozve has a great story. -via Metafilter

(Image credit: Alex Foster)


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