Jupiter’s recently discovered moons have been named by the public

By Georgina Torbet September 1, 2019

This image of Jupiter was taken on February 12, 2019, as Juno performed its 18th close flyby of the planet. NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Kevin M. Gill.

Last year, researchers from the Carnegie Institution for Science announced they had discovered 12 new moons in orbit around Jupiter. Jupiter is blessed with an abundance of moons, and these new discoveries brought the total number to 79. In order to name these newly-discovered bodies, Carnegie Science turned to the public for suggestions, and now it has announced the new names for five of the moons.

There will be no naming the moons Moony McMoonface, however. Astronomers have a strict naming scheme when it comes to Jupiter’s moons that the researchers wanted to respect.

“There are many rules when it comes to how we name moons,” Carnegie’s Scott Sheppard, leader of the team who discovered the new moons, explained in a statement. “Most notably, Jovian naming conventions require its many moons to be named after characters from Greek and Roman mythology who were either descendants or consorts of Zeus or Jupiter.”

The moons of Jupiter, with the recently discovered and named moons shown in bold. Carnegie Science

The names were gathered from suggestions on Twitter under the hashtag #NameJupitersMoons and were passed on to the International Astronomical Union for approval. The approved names are as follows:

S/2017 J4 is now Pandia, daughter of Zeus and the Moon goddess Selene. She is the goddess of the full moon, making her the ideal choice for naming a lunar body.

S/2018 J1 is now Ersa, appropriately enough the sister of Pandia and the goddess of dew.

S/2003 J5 is now Eirene, daughter of Zeus and Themis and the goddess of peace.

S/2003 J15 is now Philophrosyne, granddaughter of Zeus and sister of Eupheme, who is the spirit of welcome and kindness.

S/2003 J3 is now Eupheme, granddaughter of Zeus and sister of Philophrosyne, who is the spirit of praise and good omen.

Overall, the researchers are delighted with the creativity and engagement of the public in this naming process, and happy with the final names that were chosen. “I was blown away by the enthusiastic response for this contest,” Sheppard said. “I hope the thought of these moons let everyone ponder the wonder and amazement that is our universe.”

Topics

Georgina Torbet

Space Writer

Georgina is the Digital Trends space writer, covering human space exploration, planetary science, and cosmology. She…

Outdoors

The best portable power stations

EcoFlow DELTA 2 on table at campsite for quick charging.

Affordable and efficient portable power is a necessity these days, keeping our electronic devices operational while on the go. But there are literally dozens of options to choose from, making it abundantly difficult to decide which mobile charging solution is best for you. We've sorted through countless portable power options and came up with six of the best portable power stations to keep your smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets functioning while living off the grid.
The best overall: Jackery Explorer 1000

Jackery has been a mainstay in the portable power market for several years, and today, the company continues to set the standard. With three AC outlets, two USB-A, and two USB-C plugs, you'll have plenty of options for keeping your gadgets charged.

Emerging Tech

CES 2023: HD Hyundai’s Avikus is an A.I. for autonomous boat and marine navigation

Demonstration of NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

This content was produced in partnership with HD Hyundai.
Autonomous vehicle navigation technology is certainly nothing new and has been in the works for the better part of a decade at this point. But one of the most common forms we see and hear about is the type used to control steering in road-based vehicles. That's not the only place where technology can make a huge difference. Autonomous driving systems can offer incredible benefits to boats and marine vehicles, too, which is precisely why HD Hyundai has unveiled its Avikus AI technology -- for marine and watercraft vehicles.

More recently, HD Hyundai participated in the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, to demo its NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system for recreational boats. The name mashes together the words "neuron" and "boat" and is quite fitting since the Avikus' A.I. navigation tech is a core component of the solution, it will handle self-recognition, real-time decisions, and controls when on the water. Of course, there are a lot of things happening behind the scenes with HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation solution, which we'll dive into below -- HD Hyundai will also be introducing more about the tech at CES 2023.

Computing

This AI cloned my voice using just three minutes of audio

acapela group voice cloning ad

There's a scene in Mission Impossible 3 that you might recall. In it, our hero Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) tackles the movie's villain, holds him at gunpoint, and forces him to read a bizarre series of sentences aloud.

"The pleasure of Busby's company is what I most enjoy," he reluctantly reads. "He put a tack on Miss Yancy's chair, and she called him a horrible boy. At the end of the month, he was flinging two kittens across the width of the room ..."