Ouranos, not Uranus

[mithridates]

I was thinking of posting this in Free Space or elsewhere, but in fact naming of planets is very important and does have an effect on how seriously Ouranos is taken as a destination. Far too many news articles on the planet get drowned out by stale and bromidic jokes over the name, and the worst part is that it doesn't even need to be spelled Uranus at all - Uranus is simply a Latinized spelling of the original Greek Ouranos (or Oranos), the god for which the planet is named.

I have a screenshot here of the typical treatment Ouranos receives when mentioned in the news:

http://www.pagef30.com/2009/12/ouranos-not-uranus.html

The recent article entitled "Collision-free theory explains why Uranus is lying on its side" there has a total of eight comments, one of which is on topic.

So what's the point in continuing to use Uranus as the English spelling for the planet? It does the planet a disservice, and starting to use the spelling Ouranos takes almost no effort at all. Simply write Ouranos (with Uranus in parenthesis the first time) and you've already begun to make a difference. Note that there is a reason why we use the word Venusian instead of the technically correct Venerean - venerean is nearly synonymous with venereal, so this would be exactly the same thing.

I've also started a Facebook group devoted to changing the name.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=189939051777

 

[Boris_Badenov]

I've wondered myself from time to time if the reason we haven't studied Ouranos (Uranus) more is simply because of the ridicule researchers get when they say what they are studying.
Every journy starts with a single step. Lets build a freeway. :geek:

 

[kg]

Wer're lucky to have had the voyager flybys of Uranus and Neptune. At first Voyager wasn't funded for either of these planets. Is there any chance for a Casini type mission to these planets? Maybe we should change the name from Uranus to Urectum?

 

[crazyeddie]

If we rename Uranus Ouranos, whould not consistency demand that we also rename the other planets to their original Greek designations?

Mercury: Hermes

Venus: Aphrodite

Earth: Gaia

Mars: Ares

Jupiter: Zeus

Saturn: Kronos

Neptune: Poseidon

Pluto: Hades

You might be opening a can of worms!

 

[mithridates]

If we rename Uranus Ouranos, whould not consistency demand that we also rename the other planets to their original Greek designations?

Mercury: Hermes

Venus: Aphrodite

Earth: Gaia

Mars: Ares

Jupiter: Zeus

Saturn: Kronos

Neptune: Poseidon

Pluto: Hades

You might be opening a can of worms!

No problem. Uranus is simply a Latinized version of the original Greek name Ouranos, so it's already the exception. If it had been given a Roman name in the beginning it would have been called Caelus. Kind of a pity it wasn't called that in the beginning, to be honest.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Originally, it was Herschel, wasn't it? Wait, I think that was Neptune..

 

[nimbus]

You might be opening a can of worms!

How bromidic !

 

[LKD]

I hate to say anything in opposition, but really, all you are doing is changing the pronouncing, when Americanized, from your to our. This likely will not help quite as much as you are thinking.

 

[silylene]

Actually Herchel wanted to call Uranus "Georgius Sidus" (George's Star in Latin) after King George III.

However the French disliked the English, and especially disliked King George, and refused to respect this name for the planet. As a compromise, Bode suggested the name "Uranus".

By the way, Uranus is the Greek god of the heavens who had been castrated by his son Chronos, the god of time.

And by the way, Herchel's sister, Caroline, was a noted astronomer and the first female astronomer, and she aided William in the observations and calculations which established Uranus was a planet (for a while, William thought Uranus was a comet). Caroline Herchel had her own large 27" telescope, and on her own, she discovered quite a few comets including Encke's comet rediscovery, she discovered M110 which is a sister galaxy of Andromeda, and wrote up the influential book, Catalogue of Stars in 1798.

 

[JohnniG]

I've wondered myself from time to time if the reason we haven't studied Ouranos (Uranus) more is simply because of the ridicule researchers get when they say what they are studying.
Every journy starts with a single step. Lets build a freeway. :geek:

It is indeed a pretty weird name. But Oranos clears that right up.

 

[3488]

Also the closest point of an orbit around Uranus is Periuranion, the farthest, Apouranion.

Andrew Brown.

 

[JohnniG]

If we rename Uranus Ouranos, whould not consistency demand that we also rename the other planets to their original Greek designations?

Mercury: Hermes

Venus: Aphrodite

Earth: Gaia

Mars: Ares

Jupiter: Zeus

Saturn: Kronos

Neptune: Poseidon

Pluto: Hades

You might be opening a can of worms!

 

[Solifugae]

Saturn: Kronos

I've always liked that one more. It sounds more imposing and awesome.

 

[3488]

Hi Solifugae,

You may also be interested to know that the closest point of an orbit around Saturn is Perikrone, the farthest, Apokrone.

Andrew Brown.

 

[h2ouniverse]

You might be interested in the info that a Uranus Orbiter is being considered as a potential New Frontiers mission. A solar-powered orbiter, hence small with huge arrays and low-consumption payload.

best regards.

 

[origin]

We could stop beating around the bush, so to speak, and rename it Butthole.

Hey, just a thought, what is the difference anyway, "a rose by any other name", and all that jazz...

 

[TheNative]

Yeah, you know, I don't think renaming it to Ouranos would help. Consider the jokes for that name. Practically the same. Imagine the headlines "Our anus has a new spot on it's southern hemisphere." Not much of a reprieve.

 

[Solifugae]

Notanos?

 

[CalliArcale]

TheNative -- ROTFL!

It's academic, anyway. The time to rename it would've been about 200 years ago; the name's pretty solidly entrenched by now. Note that some astronomers have tried to get people to start pronouncing it "YOOR-i-nus", but this isn't really devoid of humorous possibility either, and anyway, "yer-A-nus" is far too well entrenched even without the potty humor. I think we're pretty well stuck with Uranus.

 

[SpeedFreek]

Only the puerile laugh at the mention of rings around Uranus. These are the same people who giggle when ornithologists mention great tits, when steel workers mention slaggy discharges, when carpenters or metalworkers talk of bastard files and when mechanics refer to grease nipples.

 

[FlatEarth]

Just the thought of changing the name of Uranus makes my blood boil. :evil: What would I do if I no longer could use my clever Uranus jokes at my Mensa parties? Substitute "the planet formerly known as Uranus"? I think not. *sigh*

 

[Flatland]

Wait, so it's Our Anus now?

 

[mark_d_s]

Stop it.

Leave Uranus alone. :shock: