Planetary mnemonic

A planetary mnemonic is a phrase used to remember the planets (and sometimes dwarf planets) of the Solar System with the order of the words corresponding to the increasing sidereal periods of the bodies.

Nine planets

The traditional English-language mnemonic for many years was My Very Energetic Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto). But, some people liked to use "My Very Educated Mother Just Showed Us Nine Planets" or "My Very Energetic Mother Jumps Skateboards Under Nana's Patio" (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto). ^[1] Another mnemonic was My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming Planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto). However, MVEMJSUNP was made obsolete by the 2006 definition of planet, which reclassified Pluto (and Ceres and Eris) as dwarf planets.

Eight Planets

"My Very Energetic Mother Just Served Us Noodles" The International Astronomical Union suggested a revised mnemonic, My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos, for the eight planets recognized under the new definition.^[2] Others angry at the IAU's decision to "demote" Pluto composed sarcastic mnemonics in protest. Schott's Miscellany by Ben Schott included the mnemonic, Many Very Educated Men Justify Stealing Unique Ninth.^[3] Mike Brown, who discovered Eris, mentioned hearing Many Very Educated Men Just Screwed Up Nature.^[4]

Contests

The National Geographic Society sponsored a contest for a new mnemonic of MVEMCJSUNPE, incorporating the then eleven known planets and dwarf planets, including Eris, Ceres, and the newly demoted Pluto. On February 22, 2008, My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace Elephants, coined by 10-year-old Maryn Smith of Great Falls, Montana, was announced as the winner.^[5] The phrase was featured in the song 11 Planets by Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Lisa Loeb and in the book 11 Planets: A New View of the Solar System by David Aguilar (ISBN 978-1426302367).^[6] Since the National Geographic competition, two additional bodies have been designated as dwarf planets, Makemake and Haumea, on July 11 and September 17, 2008 respectively.

References

1. ^ Beatty, Kelly (2008-02-28). "Of Planets and Palace Elephants". SkyandTelescope.com. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/16078757.html. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 
2. ^ "Questions and Answers on Planets". News Release - IAU0603: IAU 2006 General Assembly: Result of the IAU Resolution votes. IAU.org. 2006-08-24. http://www.iau.org/public_press/news/release/iau0603/questions_answers/. Retrieved 2008-09-23. 
3. ^ Schott, Ben (2008). "Schott's Miscellany 2009". New York: Bloomsbury USA. pp. 77. ISBN 9781596913820. 
4. ^ "Julia Sweeney and Michael E. Brown". Armand Hammer. 2007. http://www.pluggd.tv/audio/channels/kcet_podcast__hammer_conversations/episodes/2h10l. Retrieved 2009-12-14. 
5. ^ "National Geographic Children's Books Announces Winner of New Planetary Mnemonic" (Press release). NationalGeographic.com. 2008-02-22. http://press.nationalgeographic.com/pressroom/index.jsp?pageID=pressReleases_detail&siteID=1&cid=1203698789748. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 
6. ^ "Planet Song". Kids.NationalGeographic.com. http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Stories/SpaceScience/Planet-song. Retrieved 2008-09-23.  (The song may be heard on-line.)