For the first time, we will get a close-up look at Pluto and Charon, and the features that were once hazy and distant will be seen up close and distinctly. Those features will need names, and the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif. is asking for the public's help as part of its "Our Pluto" campaign.
"Pluto belongs to everyone," said New Horizon science team member Mark Showalter, a senior research scientist at the SETI Institute, according to a press release. "So we want everyone to be involved in making the map of this distant world."
The flyby will be quick, so scientists need to have a list of names ready. They are inviting the public to visit https://ourpluto.seti.org to vote on names for prominent features and suggest names to be added to the list. The names must follow a certain set of guidelines, such as referencing "mythology and the literature and history of exploration," according to the press release.
The campaign ends on April 7, and the names will be submitted to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) for final decisions.
"The Pluto flyby this summer will be a major milestone in planetary exploration," said Alan Stern, principal investigator of the New Horizons project, according to the press release. "We are really looking forward to hearing the public's ideas for feature naming on Pluto and Charon."
Plutos smaller moons Kerberos and Styx were named by the public during a similar campaign.
"The difference is that last time we only needed two names, whereas now we could need more than a hundred," Showalter said. "We are eager to gather recommendations from people all over the world."
According to the press release, the website also includes a simple ballot so that young children can participate.
