What names would you give a distant exoplanet and its star located 100 light years away? The Swiss public have been asked to submit names for the celestial bodies discovered by Swiss astronomers 20 years ago.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sb
Anyone living in Switzerland can sign up to the nameexoplanet.ch websiteExternal link to send in names for the exoplanet HD130322 b, which orbits the star HD130322.
Switzerland is not the only country asked to find names for exoplanets. This year on the occasion of its 100th anniversary, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has launched a worldwide campaign “NameExoWorldsExternal link“, in which each country can name an exoplanet. The IAU is traditionally the organisation that gives celestial bodies their official names.
HD130322 b was discovered in 1999 by a team of astronomers at the University of Geneva led by Swiss scientist Michel Mayor. In 1995, he and his colleague Didier Queloz discovered the first exoplanet to orbit a sun-like star, 51 Pegasi.
The star HD130322 is located in the Virgo constellation and can be viewed using a small telescope. It is a dwarf star like our sun but is smaller and cooler, SAG-SAS said.
The exoplanet HD130322 b is thought to have a similar mass to the planet Jupiter and is probably a gassy planet that orbits closely around its star.
The previous global NameExoWorlds campaign was launched in 2015, but was much smaller, requesting names for 31 exoplanets and 14 stars.
Over the past 25 years, just over 4,000 exoplanetsExternal link have been identified, a sign of the explosion of discoveries from searches with telescopes on the ground and in space.
Red Cross: 22 staff members killed in Middle East conflict since October
This content was published on
The Red Cross and Red Crescent network in Gaza and Israel has lost 22 staff members since last October, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) said on Wednesday.
Dortmund’s Kobel is first Swiss goalie to reach Champions League final
This content was published on
Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel has achieved history by becoming the first Swiss goalkeeper to reach a Champion’s League final.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Big sister for Earth found in neighbouring system
This content was published on
An exoplanet barely three times the mass of Earth has been discovered by an international team of astronomers including from Geneva.
Study gives new insights into TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets
This content was published on
The seven exoplanets around the star TRAPPIST-1, 40 light-years away, consist mainly of rock and potentially have more water than Earth.
This content was published on
Scientists have determined the length of time it takes the last of seven recently discovered exoplanets to orbit around its central dwarf star.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.