Kathmandu, June 6

International Astronomical Union, an apex body of more than 12,000 professional astronomers around the globe, has provided an opportunity to the Nepali people to give a Nepali name to a planetary solar system inside the Milky Way, discovered by scientists.

Nepali people have been allowed to name a planetary system which consists of one star and one planet. The star with the code name HD100777 and the planet with the code name HD100777b will now have a Nepali name for each of them.

The scientists have claimed the planet HD100777b has ‘possibility of habitable zone’. The solar system has a single planet which lies around 172.2 light years away from the earth at Leo Constellation.

Nepalis can recommend a name for the new exo-planet through ‘’Name Exoworld National Committee’ formed here in the country.

The committee is chaired by Suresh Bhattarai, National Outreach Coordinator of IAU for Nepal.

“The collected names will be placed for public voting via various media, the best three names for each planet and the sun will be sent to the IAU for final decision,” Bhattarai said.

Bhattarai said they will start collecting names for the planet and the sun from the first week of July. The names have to be submitted to the IAU by mid-November.

IAU is organising the ‘NameExoWorlds’ global competition giving an opportunity to 70 countries to name the ‘Exo Worlds’ discovered by scientists across the world, on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.