space race The names of exoplanets can still be discovered for about a month

More than 5,000 discovered solar system planets, or exoplanets – that is, planets outside our solar system – travel through space. Most have code names, but some because of competition The name is Exo Worlds Names in different world languages.

In 2019, when the event was last held, more than 100 star-planetary systems were named this way. Each country selected a national round winner. In the Czech Republic, the star Absolutno and its planet Makropulos won.

Organizers say this year is different. Countries from all over the world will compete for just 20 names. It was one of the first exoplanets observed by the Webb Telescope during Space Odyssey.

“The selected systems are located in different regions of the sky, some of which are even observable from us,” said Sona Ehlerová from the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences in the Czech Republic, domestic representative of the IAU Popularization Office.

“Individual systems are quite different from each other in terms of the type of parent star, the mass of the exoplanet, and the distance from the star,” they added.

Teams consisting of students/students, teachers, amateurs and professional astronomers can apply for the competition – according to Ehlerova, the more diverse the better. Each team you Choosing An exoplanet and its star. The condition is that he organizes an event related to exoplanets for the public: a lecture, an outdoor observation or a creative workshop.

After that, it is sufficient to submit the application till December 11 form. The application itself has three parts:

1. A written justification of the proposal in English with a maximum length of 300 words
2. Short Czech video with English subtitles (max 3 minutes).
3. A brief report on public outreach activity (in English) with pictures or videos from the event

Proposals from individual countries will be received by the National Commission, which will select the winner and two alternates, who will be judged by an international commission in the global competition.