Should We Rename The Moon?

Star Wars fans, your time has come. A new campaign to give the moon a new name is underway, and with your help and a little bit of Force, the heavenly body could be born again with a much more exotic and memorable moniker, such as Ghomrassen, Guermessa, or Chenini.

Obviously, any Star Wars fan worth their lightsaber will instantly recognize the above names as being one of Tatooine’s trio of moons, which partner its two suns. In fact, you might even have them tattooed on your buttocks… in which case you’ve taken things too far, but we digress.

Earth, on the other hand, only has one sun and one moon. And therein lies the rub. Our sun is just called sun and our moon is just called moon. It’s pretty much like having a dog and calling it – you guessed it – dog! Or worse still, calling the Earth “planet!”

The moons that inhabit the Star Wars universe – such as Ghomrassen, Guermessa, and Chenini –may sound like sexually transmitted diseases, and they appear at first bite a bit of a mouthful, but they definitely boast names that grab your attention, albeit in a slightly pompous and pretentious way.

Even on NASA’s own website,when it describes the two moons of Mars being called Phobos and Deimos, it then asks, “Don’t you wish our moon had a cool name like that?”

Anyhow, here’s the thing. The moon might just be getting a new name, and even if no obliging Star Wars fans come forward to baptize it Ghomrassen, Guermessa or Chenini, why not be a little reckless and throw some other ideas in the bucket with a Star Wars themed flavor?

For example, “Luke” may not exactly be the best name for a moon, but “Skywalker” on the other hand definitely has a lot of potential. So too do a lot of other names that have seeped into popular culture courtesy of Star Wars.

Could we name earth’s only satellite “Vader?” Too masculine perhaps? How about “Princess Leia?” It’s a thought, and anything is possible if the campaign based in Utah really takes off and folks get to vote on a new name for the moon.

You can go into orbit and found out more here!