Did You Pay To Name A Planet? You Got Scammed
An artist's rendering of an exoplanet seen from its moon IAUThe International Astronomical Union issues a special report to let you know you've probably been screwed. Most of the more than 800 exoplanets discovered have unbelievably boring names - 16 Cygni Bb or HD 41004 Ab, to name a couple. So some enterprising entrepreneurs have started a naming contest that allows users to pay to nominate and vote on new names ($4.99 a pop, though there are obviously bulk prices available as we've got a lot of planets to name). Namers receive a certificate commemorating their contribution to the wonderful world of science. Totally not sketchy at all, right? Well, the International Astronomical Union is here to tell you that this is a scam! Or, according to its special Parisian press release, the IAU "wishes to inform the public that such schemes have no bearing on the official...