‘Vulcan’ selected by public as name for Pluto’s newly discovered moon

If 174,062 Star Trek fans get their way, one of Pluto’s moons will soon officially be referred to as Vulcan. The name, inspired by Spock’s fictional home planet, won a public poll conducted by the SETI Institute. Presented a list with 21 possible candidates, voters put their weight behind Vulcan en masse. Actors William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, both of whom starred in the original Star Trek television series, have campaigned for the cause via Twitter in recent weeks.

Cerberus was the second most-popular choice and will be presented to the International Astronomical Union as a potential moniker for Pluto’s other recently discovered moon. As a reference to Greek mythology, Cerberus sticks much closer to the traditional naming scheme used in these situations. The IAU will make the final decision on what each moon will be called, so it may very well decide to deny the will of the people. Pluto itself was named with help from the public. In particular, it was an eleven-year-old girl that came up with the former planet’s title.

Update: As pointed out below, Vulcan is also strongly tied to Greek mythos, though its selection here is still somewhat of a departure from typical naming conventions. Thanks Alahmnat!