Calling Forth a Name: Hawaiian language immersion students propose new titles for exoplanet and star
A planet-and-star pair located more than 400 light years away could become the next celestial objects named using the Hawaiian language.
Through ʻImiloa’s A Hua He Inoa program, ten high school interns from Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu recently proposed the names of “Leimakua” for the exoplanet and “Kawelo” for its star as part of the global 2022 NameExoWorlds competition. The proposed names were chosen to honor ancestral knowledge and the familial bond between the star and planet.
“Nui ka haʻaheo! We are incredibly proud of these students who brought forth their own knowledge and wisdom to this process,” said Kaʻiu Kimura, ʻImiloa Executive Director. “Their contributions will deepen our Hawaiʻi relationships to astronomical discovery as the story of all of our connections to the universe unfolds.”
The International Astronomical Union will decide the winning submissions for this and other planet-and-star pairs in Spring 2023. The organization is hosting the competition and is the recognized global authority for naming objects in space.
If the names are accepted, they will join a list of astronomical discoveries named in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi that began with ʻOumuamua and Pōwehi – the first interstellar object and black holes to be discovered or seen.
The interns were assisted in the process by ʻImiloa staff, representatives from Maunakea observatories and Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu, and Larry Kimura of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language.
The proposed inoa, or names, were identified by looking at the metaphorical relationship between the Neptune-mass planet (HAT-P-26 b) and star (HAT-P-26) as being one between a parent and its child. The exoplanet closely orbits its host star, with a year lasting just a few days.
In ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, “makua” means parent or parental relationship. The interns chose “Leimakua” for the planet since its close orbit reminded them of a lei around the star and because a lei can also symbolize the bond between them.
“There is a poetic saying in Hawaiian where lei or necklaces symbolize children and that the makua or parent never casts aside this lei because of this connection between parent and child,” said A Hua He Inoa intern Kaʻimi Galima-Elvena.
For the proposed name of the star, the interns also looked to Ka Moʻolelo Hiwahiwa o Kawelo. In a portion of this epic tale, a boy named Kawelo gathers water in his ʻumeke, which symbolizes the knowledge that is being perpetuated. The word “welo” also means to float in a stream, or flutter in the wind, and symbolically represents a continuation or lineal legacy.
“When you fill that ʻumeke of water, you are building up the life of your community,” said A Hua He Inoa intern Kahaukepa ʻAipia-Peters. “So that if we bring up the name of the moʻolelo, which is Kawelo Leimakua, in this ʻumeke of knowledge, then we will continue on this knowledge and honor the knowledge of our ancestors.”
In addition to providing these two names for HAT-P-26 and HAT-P-26 b, the astronomy and Hawaiian language experts who assisted the interns are confident that there are other names to consider from the story of Kawelo, should a new exoplanet be discovered and named in this system. Whether or not their names are selected by the IAU for this 2022 NameExoWorlds competition, the students said they were thrilled to be able to participate.
“Every time I look up at the stars, I always get excited and I wonder what’s out there,” Kaʻimi said. “And, to be able to connect that to my culture, is very important because, to me, this is not about one single person. This is about all of us as a community and how we live in Hawaiʻi.”
About HAT-P-26 b
Neptune-mass gas giant planet discovered in 2010.
Located more than 400 light years from Earth.
Orbits its star every 4.2 days.
Signs of water detected in its atmosphere.
Submillimeter Array and W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea helped detect the planet.
About A Hua He Inoa
A Hua He Inoa is a collaborative effort led by ʻImiloa that focuses on shifting global paradigms and positioning Hawai‘i as the first place in the world to weave traditional indigenous practices into the process of officially naming astronomical discoveries.
Six objects have so far been named using ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi through the program. They include:
Pōniuāʻena, the most massive quasar known in the early universe.
Leleakūhonua, a dwarf planet.
ʻOumuamua, the first interstellar object to be discovered.
Pōwehi, the first black hole to be imaged.
And, two asteroids: Kamoʻoalewa and Kaʻepaokaʻāwela.
An artist’s rendering of HAT-P-26 b.