Planet McPlanetface: NASA Unwisely Asks Twitter to Name New Planets

Other suggestions included Moonie McMoonface and the names of 'Friends' characters.

NASA has crowd-sourced names for planets in the newly discovered solar system Trappist-1, but all has not gone to plan.

We all remember a similar incident last year, when the Natural Environment Research Council asked voters to come up a name for a research vessel – and the majority settled, hilariously, on Boaty McBoatface.

The Council overturned that decision, and instead named the vessel the RRS Sir David Attenborough. Spoilsports!

And NASA may have to take a similar tactic, as cads on social media have offered a selection of gloriously daft names for the Trappist-4 solar system. The planets in the solar system are currently called Trappist-1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1g, and 1h.

We think you’ll agree that they’re in dire need of sexing up a bit. But when when the space agency tweeted, “#7NamesFor7NewPlanets?”, the responses were not quite what they expected. They are brilliant, though.

#7NamesFor7NewPlanets?
TRAPPIST-1b
TRAPPIST-1c
TRAPPIST-1d
TRAPPIST-1e
TRAPPIST-1f
TRAPPIST-1g
TRAPPIST-1h

https://t.co/QS80AnZ2Jg pic.twitter.com/gis6Ba7UBu
— NASA (@NASA) February 24, 2017

Luckily Alex Jones from The One Show didn’t get a similar response when she invited viewers to name her baby!

Overall, the debacle just goes to show that you can always trust the general public to give you a bit of a giggle. Never change, the internet.

Luscas did a great job

@NASA rachel monica phoebe chandler joey ross and janice
— luscas (@luscas) February 24, 2017

Patrick was a close second

@NASA
-Harry
-Rony
-Hermione
-Hagrid
-Snape
-Dumbledore
-Voldemort
— Patrick Miranda (@patrisck) February 24, 2017

While @idiocracy won the game

Planet McPlanetface
Moonie McMoonface
Rocky McRockface
Icy McIceface
Dusty McDustface
Gasy McGasface
Wanda#7NamesFor7NewPlanets
— Idiotcracy (@idiotcracy) February 24, 2017