Pluto was named after a suggestion from Venetia Burney, an 11-year-old schoolgirl in Oxford, England, in 1930. She proposed the name of the Roman god of the underworld for the newly discovered distant world.
How the suggestion spread
Venetia mentioned the name to her grandfather, who had contacts in the astronomy community. The proposal reached astronomers connected with the discovery and was ultimately accepted.
Why the name suited the object
The name Pluto evoked a remote, dark realm, fitting the extremely distant body observed beyond Neptune. Astronomical names often draw on mythology, although formal naming rules differ by object.
The discovery that prompted it
Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto at Lowell Observatory in 1930 after comparing photographic plates. The name honors neither the Disney character nor a modern company; those associations came afterward or independently.
A legacy for its moons
Pluto’s moons have names drawn from mythological figures connected with the underworld, such as Charon, Styx and Kerberos. The shared theme makes the system’s names easier to remember.
Frequently asked question
Was Pluto named by its discoverer?
The successful name was suggested by Venetia Burney, rather than originating with Clyde Tombaugh himself.
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