According to this article, astronomers estimate there could something like 160 billion planets in our Milky Way galaxy. And that's waaaaaay too many for astronomers to sit around and dream up names for, so a group of them formed a little website at www.uwingu.com to allow people to submit potential planetary names.
The names will then be voted on to get the most popular. The organizers hope to raise a little money for charity and promote awareness of astronomical research.
With 160 billion to work with, it would seem that just about any submission could make it into the lists. So I will be proposing the names "Biden," "Limbaugh," and "O'Reilly," but I will insist that these names be reserved for Jupiter-like planets, which are essentially large balls of gas with no solid material involved whatsoever.
Should there be a planet which has a retrograde orbit -- meaning that it circles its sun backwards compared to the other planets of its system, I will suggest the name "Pelosi." And should a planet be found orbiting the star Scheat (or Beta Pegasi) or one nearby, which is the star nearest the tail of the constellation Pegasus, the clear choice for a name considering the location is "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid." The reason -- and resemblance -- should be obvious.
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