Allusionist 178. Uranus

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Have you ever wondered why the planets in our solar system are all named after Roman deities, except two of them? One of those exceptions is Earth. The other is Uranus.

Content note: there are mentions of Ancient Greek and Roman deities and their terrible sexual behaviours and violent vengeance. Also category B and C swears.

EXTRA MATERIALS:

• I wasn’t kidding, you have to get your planet name approved by the Executive Committee Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN).

• Here is the International Astronomical Union or IAU’s guide to celestial nomenclature.

• And here’s their 2006 definition of ‘planet’ (still some controversy lingers though!).

• Here are some of the approved names for smaller bodies and moons.

• List of minor planets named after people.

• I didn’t want to get into the distinction between minor planets, asteroids, space lumps etc, but if you do… minorplanetcenter.net

• The IAU recently announced the results of its 2022 NameExoWorlds public submissions contest to name 20 exoplanets.

• How a Jungle Prison Became a Famous Spaceport.

• Who discovered Uranus?

• William Herschel and his wife Caroline.

• Diamonds rain on Uranus.

• For more spacelusionist, listen to the Technobabble episode! And Ourania Aphrodite/Aphrodite Urania makes a cameo in Two or More, the episode about the word ‘bisexual’.

Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get regular livestreams and watchalong parties - in July, Little Shop of Horrors! - AND to hang out with your fellow Allusionauts in the delightful Allusioverse Discord community. And for a limited time only, you can submit words and phrases that you would like me to record for you to use as your phone text tone or alarm or doorbell or little message of affirmation. Sign up to the Allusioverse at theallusionist.org/donate by 31 August 2023 to get your choice of me shouting you awake in the morning. 

YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
apport, noun: an object produced supposedly by occult means at a seance.
Origin 19th century: from French apport ‘something brought’, from apporter ‘bring to’.

CREDITS:

• This episode was written, performed and produced by Helen Zaltzman and Martin Austwick. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch.

• Find the Allusionist at youtube.com/allusionistshow, twitter.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, twitter.com/helenzaltzman and instagram.com/allusionistshow.

Back in the second week of August with a new episode - HZ.