As some of you may already be aware, astronomers working with the Hubble Space Telescope over the past two years have discovered two new moons of the planet Pluto. (Yes, I said planet!) So far, the best they can do for names for these two is P4 and P5, which are not really catchy names for astronomical objects residing in our own solar system.

And so they have now opened it up to the general public to suggest names and vote on them. For reference, the existing moons are Charon (the largest moon, discovered in 1978, and named for the ferryman of the river Styx), Nyx (discovered in 2005 and named for the Goddess of Darkness) and Hydra (also discovered in 2005, and named for the multi-headed monster who guarded one entrance to the Underworld) . 

They already have thirteen suggestions for the two new moons:

Acheron - One of the five rulers of the Underworld, and the lord of pain
Alecto - One of the monstrous furies, servants of Pluto, and in charge of punishing mortal anger
Cerberus/Kerberos - The three headed dog who guards the gates of the Underworld.
Erebus - One of the primordial gods, symbolizing darkness, and the father of many Underworld figures
Eurydice - Wife of Orpheus, who was rescued from the Underworld by her husband.
Heracles/Hercules -   A demi-god who is one of the few people to enter the Underworld and return alive. Also worth noting that he slayed the Hydra, a guardian of the underworld, and fought Cerberus, another guardian)
Hypnos -  Son of Nyx (another moon of Pluto) and the symbol of sleep
Lethe -  One of the rivers in the Underworld, and a symbol of oblivion
Obol/Obolus -  The coin that had to be paid to Charon to ferry the dead across the river Styx
Orpheus -  One of the legendary Greek heroes who entered the Underworld to rescue his wife
Persephone/Proserpina -  A goddess who unwillingly became the queen of the Underworld, and a symbol of rebirth.
Styx -  The river which separates the mortal world from the Underworld
Vulcan/Hephaestus -  God of fire and smoke, blacksmith to the Gods, and a nephew of Pluto.

(Where two names are given, it is Greek and Roman names for the same figure).
 
Of course they are open to other names as well, but it is restricted to Greek or Roman mythological figures, and probably should have some connection to Pluto or the Underworld. (And I don't think Mickey Mouse would be accepted :) )

So if you want to be part of astronomical history, head over to the website plutorocks.com and cast your vote!