nPostednon July 11, 2015
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Oncenupon a time, there was a little girl who lived in Oxford, England.nHer great uncle was a Science Master at a highly respected prepnschool – and he had been the one to suggest the names that we nownuse for the two tiny moons of the planet Mars: Phobos and Deimos.
Oncenupon a time, there was a little girl who lived in Oxford, England.nHer great uncle was a Science Master at a highly respected prepnschool – and he had been the one to suggest the names that we nownuse for the two tiny moons of the planet Mars: Phobos and Deimos.n
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nWhennan American astronomer discovered a new, ninth planet of the solarnsystem, there was a lot of excitement. The little girls grandpa toldnher about the discovery. She suggested a name for the newlyndiscovered planet:
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nPluto.
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Thenlittle girl thought Pluto would be a great name because the othernplanets had names of the Roman Gods and Goddesses (such as Jupiternand Venus), and Pluto was the name of the Roman God of thenUnderworld. Also, the newly discovered planet was hard to spot –nwhich made the name Pluto even better, since this particular godncould make himself invisible. Another reason the suggestion was goodnwas that astronomer Percival Lowell had predicted that there wasnanother planet, which he called Planet X – and the name Plutonstarts with Percival Lowell’s initials.
Thenlittle girl thought Pluto would be a great name because the othernplanets had names of the Roman Gods and Goddesses (such as Jupiternand Venus), and Pluto was the name of the Roman God of thenUnderworld. Also, the newly discovered planet was hard to spot –nwhich made the name Pluto even better, since this particular godncould make himself invisible. Another reason the suggestion was goodnwas that astronomer Percival Lowell had predicted that there wasnanother planet, which he called Planet X – and the name Plutonstarts with Percival Lowell’s initials.n
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nThenlittle girl’s grandpa did what most grandpas would NOT do – he sentnhis granddaughter’s suggestion to an astronomer, who sent thenproposed name on to other astronomers.
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nManynof the astronomers loved the little girl’s suggested name, and soonneveryone knew the new planet by its even newer name, Pluto.
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nThenlittle girl who made the suggestion was of course Venetia Burneyn(later Venetia Phair), who was born on this date in 1918. She madenher famous suggestion when she was just 11 years old.
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nBurneynwent on to study mathematics, and as an adult she became annaccountant, an economics teacher, and a math teacher.
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nNASA’snNew Horizons spacecraft
n nwill reach Pluto and its moons
n nin just ancouple of days!
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n nStay tuned for discoveries!
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nAlsonon this date:
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nNaadam Festival and National Day in Mongolia
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nAuthornE. B. White’s birthday
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nThenDay of Five Billion
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nAnniversarynof the discovery of a terracotta army
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nGuldensporenslagn(Flemish National Day)
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nPlannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nJulyn holidays
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nJulyn birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in July
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nAugustn holidays
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nAugustn birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in August
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