IAU Committee Renames Planets

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - Close on the heels of their recent decision, a committee of the Internation Astronomical Union has voted unanimously to rename all the planets in the solar system.

In what is already being called a highly controversial and surprising move, the committee of IAU astronomers voted unanimously to rename the planets after locations from science fiction novels and movies.

The proposal, which still requires approval from the IAU as a whole, would rename the planets as follows.

Mercury: Crematoria
Venus: Perelandra
Earth: Coruscant
Mars: Ceti Alpha V
Ceres: Rura Penthe
Jupiter: Bespin
Saturn: Altair IV
Uranus: Vogsphere
Neptune: Terminus
Pluto: Miranda
Charon: Z'ha'dum
2003 UB313: Milliways

Critics of the proposal complain that not only are the changes superfluous, but would cost schools millions of dollars to purchase new textbooks and charts.

Proponents of the change say that scientific progress should not be hindered by complaints of the cost. "Plus," said one scientist, speaking on the condition of anonymity, "I've always wanted to live on Coruscant, and now I finally can!"