Formal Response From The IAU

On April 29, Alan Boss, former chair of the Working Group on Extrasolar Planets of the IAU (now Commission 53), and the maintainers of three of the exoplanet databases, including me, sent the IAU a formal letter requesting that they join us in clarifying how exoplanets get their names and designations.  Here is the response from the Alain Leavelier des Etangs, President of Commission 53: 

The Organizing committee of the Commission 53 has thoroughly read your document regarding how exoplanets acquire their designations and where these designations are recorded. Please find below our comments and answers to it:

  • The Organizing Committee recognizes the important involvement of the 3 groups working hard to maintain lists of exoplanets. We strongly concur with your statement that “None of these resources is maintained by the IAU and none of them operates with the imprimatur or preference of the IAU”. In short, there is no official IAU catalog.
  • Given the excellent quality of the existing catalogs, the Organizing Committee acknowledges that the involvement of the 3 groups is extremely useful to the whole astronomical community.
  • The Commission 53 has no material or financial support from the IAU to maintain a list of exoplanets.
  • We agree that there should be a distinction between a “public” name and a “nomenclature” name given to an exoplanet. The nomenclature names are used by astronomers to designate uniquely and unambiguously all objects discovered in the Universe. This nomenclature designation has been defined by practice by the discoverers (star name + lowercase letter).
  • We support all activities aimed at educating both the astronomical community and the public about the nomenclature convention that is currently universally used by the astronomical community.
  • There have never been formal or official recommendations from the IAU about the nomenclature scheme. But it is accepted by the community and in the absence of problems, input from the IAU has not been necessary. Nonetheless, recent discoveries (for instance around binaries) have raised some issues, and the Commission members will be consulted about possible guidelines for the nomenclature.
  • If they wish, the catalog architects could include a statement on their web site mentioning that the planet nomenclature names listed are generally accepted by the exoplanet community but are not officially endorsed by the IAU.
  • A wide consultation of the Commission 53 is to be organized this year. This consultation will address questions including some on popular names and the nomenclature.