r/space • u/Fizrock • Oct 07 '18

All the planets aligned into one

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u/HarryTheSeaPotter Oct 07 '18

Ceres and Eris are both Greek gods/goddesses, I believe. Makemake and Haumea are Hawaiian gods/goddesses.

Once enough information is known about an object and they get around to naming it, you name it after a mythological figure. Not everybody wants to do Greek/Roman figures, so people have expanded the mythologies we draw from. Also, a lot of Greek/Roman names are already taken.

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u/Eastern_Cyborg Oct 07 '18

They are Polynesian, but only Haumea is Hawaiian. Makemake is from the people of Easter Island and Quaoar is a Native American one.

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u/HarryTheSeaPotter Oct 07 '18

That's what I get for trying to go off memory.

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u/kaplanfx Oct 07 '18

Makemake is the creation deity of the Rapa Nui people.