You're all going to love this.
Apparently, Ukrainian astronomers got together to submit a name for an astronomical object. The name they chose? They chose to name the star in question "Putin Is A Dickhead". I kid you not.
So apparently, the star in question is now officially known as the "Putin is a Dickhead" star.Last week, Ukrainian activists and astronomers joined forces to adopt a star and name it "Putin-Huilo!, a Ukrainian phrase which translates roughly to "Putin is a dickhead." The star was adopted through Pale Blue Dot, an organization which allows people to symbolically name a star and uses the adoption proceeds to fund intergalactic research.
As the star was named something rather inappropriate, there was speculation that name might be changed or censored. The founder of the Pale Blue Dot Project, Travis Metcalfe, put this speculation to rest. Metcalfe told The Moscow Times, "Free speech is now written in the stars. We have no plans to censor any of these star adoptions. We appreciate the support for science."
For those who want to find this star with their telescopes, the star in question is known in the astronomical catalogues as KIC 9696936, and the coordinates are:
Declination: 46° 26' 44.00"
Right Ascension: 18h 59m 47.09 s
The star is an R-band magnitude 11 star. So you'll probably need a decent telescope to be able to see it.
