We hosted a public event in the Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium during which Dr. Pragati Pradhan introduced the star and exoplanet targets – HIP 65426 and HIP 65426-b – then Joshua Ballze introduced our naming proposal and the reasoning behind those choices. These talks were accompanied by visuals projected on the planetarium dome of the star and planet, and of local petroglyphs and other background points of relevance related to the chosen names. We had an open forum Q&A with audience members following the presentation.
Joshua Ballze was also hosted on the Backyard Astronomer Podcast with team member Adam England to discuss the history of his tribe, his experiences in hunting for clues about his personal origins, and the connection with indigenous astronomy. The interview was shared in both audio and video format across platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Reddit.
The name of the exoplanet and star were presented by a representative of the Hia-Ced O’odham Nation (Joshua Ballze). The names are the O’odham word for Hunter (Mo’obDam) and its relationship to the Star (Tash-I’itoi) via the hunter’s journey or the planets celestial journey with its star.
The meaning behind the name Mo’obDam (Pronounced Mo-Ab-Dam) is the O’odham word for “Hunter,” which was chosen was to reflect the hunter’s journey as it relates to various aspects of the planet. Gathering images of the planet was actually described as “digging for space treasure” by Aarynn Carter who processed the images from the James Webb space telescope. Along with this, while gathering data on the exoplanet for a presentation our scientific leads noted even doing this was like a treasure hunt as so much about this planet has yet to be discovered. Also, this star is within the Centaurus region of the sky, and in Greek mythology Chiron the centaur is credited with being a great hunter.
For the star, the name “Tash-I’itoi” (Pronounced Tash E-toy) was proposed. This name contains the O’odham word for star (Tash) and I’itoi, who in the O’odham creation story is known as First Brother to the O’odham people. I’itoi built what was known as the House of I’itoi to protect himself from his enemies. The house of I’itoi is better known as the man in the maze, which is the life journey a person makes until they reach the end where they finally meet the sun, or Tash. Every being is going through the house of I’itoi or their life’s journey, just like the hunter Mo’obDam. And in the center of that journey, just like the center of the stellar system, is the star or “Tash,” there to greet them. And just like it is there for the great hunter, the star “Tash” will be there to greet space explorers present and future that begin their own “Hunter’s Journey”.
A live public event with cumulative total attendance of 324 guests was held the weekend of November 5th, 2022 at the Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium at Embry Riddle University, Prescott, Arizona campus. 5 planetarium shows presented by Eric Edelman, Planetarium Director, with the theme of “exoplanets” culminated in an educational panel with Dr. Pragati Pradhan – Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy (ERAU) – introducing the NameExoWorlds2022 candidate planet HIP 65426-b and host star HIP 65426, with Joshua Ballze – representative of the Hia-Ced O’odham Nation and Trustee for the Museum of Indigenous People – describing the proposed naming theme.
Adam England “The Backyard Astronomer” wrote articles that were published in the November and December editions of the Prescott 5enses magazine relative to the James Webb Space Telescope and its mission, exoplanets, and Native American constellations and astronomy, with readership of approximately 4500 each month. The same articles are available in audio format on all major podcast sources. Josh was also hosted on the Backyard Astronomer Podcast to discuss his experiences in hunting for information on his people’s history, and the meaning of the proposed names. This interview was shared in both audio and video format across many social media platforms, with over 500 interactions on Reddit, 250 YouTube views, 100 podcast downloads, and hundreds more interactions on through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Student Presentations are taking place at Liberty Traditional School on 12/23/2022 by Adam England, Jeremiah Christy, and Allyson Barney to 4 consecutive periods of middle school science students, with approximately 30 students per class, total 120 students.
Group Members:
Joshua Ballze, Trustee, Museum of Indigenous People
Manuel Lucero IV, Director, Museum of Indigenous People
Eric Edelman, Director, JLL Planetarium, ERAU
Dr. Pragati Pradhan, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Rebecca Spejcher, Undergraduate Student of Astronomy, ERAU
Edward Tucker, Realtor, Certified Remote Pilot Operator
Adam England, “The Backyard Astronomer”
Colin Tucker, Student, Bradshaw Mountain High School
Wyatt Lucero, Student, Northpoint Expeditionary Learning Academy
Jeremiah Christy, Student, Liberty Traditional School
Allyson Barney, Student, Liberty Traditional School
Aubrey Tucker, Student
The Backyard Astronomer 