quid est nomen tibi?

Well, most of the planets are named after gods and goddesses, and most of ' em are Roman. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto.

Earth is not named after any god or goddess, and for some reason they chose Uranus instead of Caelus (or Coelus). Uranus is a Greek god, and Caelus is the Roman equivalent.

So, I think Earth's name should be changed, formally, to Terra Mater. It means Mother Earth, so it's basically the same idea. But it won't happen, so guess it has to be scrapped.

And I like Ceres, actually. But they could change it to Demeter, if they keep Uranus, so that both Greek and Roman gods are represented.

So that leaves two others--UB313 (Xena) and Charon. Charon should SO not be a planet name. 1) because it's the Greek name of ferryman across the river Styx (not a god/goddess) and 2)because small children everywhere will have constant exposure to yet another "exception" in the English language--in mythology it's pronounced with a "k" for the "ch," and the scientist who discovered it said it with a "sh" like in his wife's name Charlene. SO, ix-nay on the aron-Chay.

And calling UB313 "Xena" is sooooo letting pop culture into science. Which is bad news bears. Next thing you know we'll have the Gilmore belt, or comet McDreamy. No, no, no. And one source says Lila is a contender--and while I do love the name (though I prefer it with an "h"--Lilah), I don't love it for a planet.

So far we've got Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres/Demeter, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus/Caelus, Neptune, Pluto, _____ and _____.

Personally, I vote for....

Naming UB313 and its moon Castor and Pollux, the twins, or naming it Portunus, after the God of doors, since its discovery "opened the door" for re-defining planets and planetary science as we known it. Yeah, let's go with Portunus.

And then Charon? I think it should be Diana, the goddess of the moon, fertility and hunting. As it IS a moon of Pluto, and the discovery of Charon led to two other planetary discoveries--the other two moons of Pluto, Hydra and Nix.

and let's keep Ceres and Uranus how they are, just for kicks.

So, in Carrie land the names will be:

~drumroll please~

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Diana and Portunus.

come up with a mnemonic for that, I tell ya!

and is it better than: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Charon and Xena? I think so!

and thanks, Jackie, for the fun idea!