The Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69 has been officially named Arrokoth, a Native American term meaning “sky” in the Powhatan/Algonquian language. Earlier this year on New Year’s Day, the world was mesmerized by the images of Arrokoth (then nicknamed Ultima Thule) sent by the NASA New Horizons spacecraft, as it flew by the farthest space object ever visited by a spacecraft, at a distance of 6.6 billion km. Today, it got bestowed with its real name — Arrokoth.
With consent from Powhatan Tribal elders and representatives, NASA’s New Horizons team proposed the name to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and Minor Planets Center, the international authority for naming Kuiper Belt objects. The name was announced at a ceremony at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC.
“The name ‘Arrokoth’ reflects the inspiration of looking to the skies and wondering about the stars and worlds beyond our own,” said Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator from Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado. “That desire to learn is at the heart of the New Horizons mission, and we’re honored to join with the Powhatan community and people of Maryland in this celebration of discovery.”
Here is Dr. Phoebe Farris demonstrating the correct pronunciation of Arrokoth.
Dr. Phoebe Farris
Dr. Phoebe Farris bestowed the name to the KBO. She is professor emerita, at the Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance, at Purdue University. Farris is of Powhatan-Pamunkey heritage with expertise on contemporary Native American art and culture.
The Heritage of the name Arrokoth
The Powhatan language is no longer spoken. From en.wikipedia.org/…
Powhatan or Virginia Algonquian is an extinct language belonging to the Eastern Algonquian subgroup of the Algonquian languages. It was spoken by the Powhatan people of tidewater Virginia. It became extinct around the 1790s after its speakers switched to English.
Like many Algonquian languages, Powhatan did not have a writing system.
Although the language had become extinct, some of the tribes that were part of the Powhatan Chiefdom still remain close to their lands. These tribes include Mattaponi, Nansemond, Chickahominy, Pamunkey and Patawomeck, all of whom are either recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia or the federal government.
Some of the tribes that were part of the Powhatan Chiefdom still live in Maryland, Virginia, NY and NJ. From www.nasa.gov/… -
The Pamunkey Reservation in King William County, Virginia, is the oldest American Indian reservation in the U.S. -- formed by a treaty with England in the 1600s and finally receiving federal recognition in July 2015. The Pamunkey tribe and its village were significant in the original Powhatan Confederacy; today, Pamunkey tribal members work collaboratively with other Powhatan tribes in Virginia and also have descendants who are members of the Powhatan-Renape Nation in New Jersey. Many direct descendants still live on the Pamunkey reservation, while others have moved to Northern Virginia, Maryland, D.C., New York and New Jersey.
In accordance with IAU naming conventions, the discovery team earned the privilege of selecting a permanent name for the celestial body. Both the Hubble Space Telescope (at the Space Telescope Science Institute) and the New Horizons mission (at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory) are operated out of Maryland — a tie to the significance of the Chesapeake Bay region to the Powhatan people.
Ultima Thule, no more
In 2018, the object was nicknamed by the New Horizon team as Ultima Thule after a mythical northern land in classical and medieval European literature described as beyond the borders of the known world. The name Ultima Thule was selected after a public campaign by NASA and the New Horizons team more than a year ago. That choice however became controversial since that name has historically been co-opted by right-wing organizations including Hitler’s Nazi party. So, good riddance to that old unofficial name.
Where is the New Horizons Spacecraft now?
The New Horizons spacecraft is currently 6.94 billion km from Earth, headed for interstellar space.
Other Solar System Object Names of Native American Origin
Epilogue
Arrokoth is a wonderful and most appropriate name for this most distant of space objects visited by humankind. It honors our native American heritage and gets rid of the earlier tainted nickname. Yes, it will make some right-wingers, including many in the WH, blow some gaskets; let them blow. For the rest of us, it is a name to celebrate and to honor.
Further Reading
- Far, Far Away in the Sky: New Horizons Kuiper Belt Flyby Object Officially Named 'Arrokoth' — www.nasa.gov/...
- Rendezvous with Ultima Thule
- Quick Ultima Thule update: We have telemetry and a new image! by skralyx
- Ultima Thule - What a Difference a Day Makes!
- Ultima Thule Update: Science Meets Art - www.dailykos.com/…
- JHU APL site — pluto.jhuapl.edu