Two celestial objects named Chao Phraya and Maeping
Chao Phraya and Maeping were among more than 100 names given to exoplanets and host stars by the International Astronomical Union on Tuesday (December 17).
Members of the public, more than 780,000 people in all, proposed and selected the names as part of the IAU’s NameExoWorlds project. This is only the second time that the public has helped pick proper names for exoplanets, a process governed by the IAU. To celebrate the IAU’s 100th anniversary, every country was given the chance to name one planetary system, comprising an exoplanet and its host star. Each nation's designated star for naming is visible from that country and is sufficiently bright to be observed through a small telescope.
In recognition of the UN 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages, speakers of indigenous languages were encouraged to propose names from those languages, and a few dozen of the selected names are of indigenous etymology.
The names from Thailand come from major rivers. A star was given the name Chao Phraya while Maeping, a tributary of Chao Phraya, was the name chosen for an exoplanet. The discovery of the star and planet were announced in 2011.