Chickasaw Nation and Cosmosphere form super-star team-up

JUDD WEIL
Hutch Post

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Cosmosphere announced on Dec. 12, the Language Committee of the Chickasaw Nation and the Cosmosphere’s education department proposed a new name for an “exoworld.”

An exoworld is a term referring to a planet outside our solar system and the star it orbits. 

Last week, their joint proposal became an official submission to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) “NameExoWorlds” competition.  

If selected, the proposed names will become the official names of a star and planet in the Volans constellation, which depicts a flying fish.  

The names submitted for the star and planet are Nani’ Wakaa’ Ifochik and Nani’ Wakaa’, Chickasaw for "flying fish star" and “flying fish.” Currently, the star and planet in the proposal are known only as WD 0806-661 and WD 0806-661 B. 

“Constellations have been used to communicate culture and science for all of human history,” Nick Atanasio, the Cosmosphere’s LaunchLearning Project Manager, said.  “Although these purposes are not as prominent today as they once were, constellations are still a great way to organize the sky, and all new astronomers learn them.” 

The educational implications of the Cosmosphere’s efforts to name the planet and star in the Volans constellation are a vital opportunity.  

“During our planetarium shows, we can't imagine anything more meaningful than to point out the constellation Volans and mention there is a star and planet there that we helped name,” Atanasio said.  

The Volans constellation has personal significance to a Chickasaw astronaut, Commander John Herrington.  

Herrington’s 1996 astronaut group was nicknamed the “sardines,” due to the group containing so many people that they would have to pack in like sardines for training sessions.  

This, metaphorically, would make them “flying fish” when they eventually flew to space.  

In recognition of their group nickname, Herrington designed a class patch that included the flying fish constellation, Volans.  

In 2002, Herrington became NASA’s first member of a federally recognized tribe to fly to space. 

“As the first Native American to fly into space, John Herrington is a role model for members of the Chickasaw Nation, especially students,” Atanasio said. “For him to lead an effort to forever scribe his time in space and the Chickasaw language in the stars is inspiring.” 

Herrington headed the naming proposal process that linked the Chickasaw Nation and Cosmosphere.  

On Dec. 6, Herrington gave a presentation about the process to over 3,000 students in person and via livestream through Cosmosphere’s LaunchLearning program.  

The IAU is expected to announce competition results in March 2023. 

CLICK HERE to download the Hutch Post mobile app.
CLICK HERE to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.