We come in peace, from the Planet Xena?

With Adelaide's own Andy Thomas circling the skies above our heads on a NASA mission, some extra-terrestrial news of a different kind today.

The UK's New Scientist magazine is running a competition inviting readers to name the solar system's newly-discovered 10th planet. Children get a chance to do this kind of thing all the time when baby animals are born in zoos, but now it's time for the Big Kids to have a go.

The competition will help solve the planet's identity crisis. To some it is known as 2003UB313, but to Mike Brown from California's Institute of Technology, it carries the name Xena, in deference to Lucy Lawless. The British press has reported that Brown has apparently "always wanted to name something Xena". [Ed's note: Get a dog, Mike.]

According to the article on the ABC website from whence this story comes, the competition's preliminary terms and conditions seem easy enough to follow:

Names should be pronounceable, non-offensive, 16 characters or less in length and preferably one word.

Names should not be too similar to an existing name of a minor
planet or natural planetary satellite.

In addition, names for persons or events known primarily for
their military or political activities are acceptable only after 100 years
have elapsed since the person died or the event occurred.

Commercial names are not allowed and the names of pet animals
are discouraged.

When thinking about what you'd name the planet, it's worth remembering the following things:

• this planet is about 3 times more remote than Pluto, so you won't be visiting any time soon;
• scientists are suggesting that what some think is a planet could also be just a jumped up asteroid and not a planet at all;
• whatever it is, it takes 560 earth years to orbit our sun
• Planet Microsoft is out (cause we already live on it); and
• you can't have Gabatron, because that's my idea.

The challenge is on, and the rest is up to you. Nanoo-nanoo. Hehe that rhymes.