2023-06-10 02:36:00
The name of the exoplanet and star to be observed by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is ‘Maru Ara’
The second final selection since last 2019
The names ‘Maru’ and ‘Ara’ proposed by three Korean high school students were finally decided as the names of alien stars and planets.
It is the second time since 2019 that an exoplanet system has been given a name proposed by Korea.
The Korea Astronomical Research Institute announced on the 8th that the Korean names ‘Maru’ and ‘Ara’ were selected as the names of stars and planets outside the solar system.
Previously, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) held a contest to name an exoplanet last year to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the founding of ‘IAU OAO,’ the secretariat for popularizing astronomy, and a total of 603 names were proposed from 91 countries around the world.
In Korea, a total of 32 names were received through preliminary screening for a month starting in October of last year, and in the end, one team and two preliminary candidates were selected.
Afterwards, the IAU Final Selection Committee reviewed the candidates proposed by each country and finally announced the names of 20 exoplanets.
The star ‘WD 0806-661’ located in the ‘WD exoplanet system’ 63 light years away from Earth is named ‘Maru’, and the planet ‘WD 0806-661b’ orbiting this star is named ‘Ahra’. That’s it.
This star and planet are one of 20 exoplanets selected for observation by the James Webb Telescope of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which began observations in earnest in June of last year.
‘Maru’ and ‘Ara’, the Korean names for extraterrestrial stars and planets selected by the IAU, will be used permanently in the future.
Dongduk Girls’ High School students Lee Ji-woo, Kim Su-min, and Kim Do-yeon (17), who suggested the name, said, “Maru reminds me of the sky, and Ara reminds me of the sea.” he explained.
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