Over the moon.

I have been silent for the last couple weeks because I have been doing my best to contain myself. When I near the fulfillment of a goal or dream, it typically becomes almost all I can think or talk about. I didn’t want to share it with you if things didn’t work out. The past few months have been a series of hills and valleys. This afternoon, news rocketed me to a mountain top. A science education organization selected me to  work for them in a communications capacity — even now I can hardly contain my excitement! So, we’re moving again, back the way we came and then some. Regardless, I can’t wait to start. I am cartwheeling over the moon at the moment!

Speaking of moons . . .

Have you ever heard of those companies that will sell you the right to name a star for $28.95? I always thought that was a stupid concept, because if real astronomers actually recognized such nonsense there would probably be 5 million stars named Ashley, Chris or Jennifer.

I imagine this would make studying the skies much more cumbersome and difficult. Conversations like this would unfold at NASA:

Davis: “Houston, the space telescope is entering Ashley’s orbit as we speak.”

Houston: “Good work Davis. Let’s see how the data is streaming…wait a minute. I meant the Ashley in the 2015 Valentine’s Day Nebula, not the Ashley on the inner ring of Will You Marry Me Galaxy! The super massive black hole ‘Taylor Swifts’ ex-boyfriends’ lurks there!”

Davis: “Oh. So, Houston?”

Houston: “What?!”

Davis: “We have a problem.”

Houston: “Shut up Davis.”

We can’t have this, not only because it may increase the odds of billion of dollar mistakes, but also because astronomers can be really nice people. Case in point, the folks at the SETI institute will let the public vote on their favorite name for Pluto’s two smallest known moons.

Do it. It’s free, it takes 5 seconds, and you can help name moons. To read the rules and vote click here.

Pluto and its moons. Image from http://www.seti.org/node/1592

I feel like this is something a slightly nutty senior citizen with a sense of humor would bore a rambunctious child with a story like this someday. I sure didn’t walk up hill both ways and I doubt you did either. (Please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong!) So umm, you may need something to ramble about to your offspring’s offspring someday.

So, (Do you feel the peer pressure building yet?) go name a moon!

Erin

P.S. – I used a post from this blog as a part of my application package. Thank you for your support, just your silent presence means the world to me!