A dwarf planet in the solar system called China's water god

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recently named a planet in the solar system after the Chinese water god Gonggong.

According to the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, this is the first and only dwarf planet in the solar system to have a Chinese name.

The planet in the Solar System is called the Chinese god Gonggong.(Photo: thestar.com)

Gou Lijun, a researcher at the observatory, said the naming of the planet was an important event that helped China's astronomy to get the attention of the world, as most dwarf planets named after Greek and Roman mythological figures. This event not only helps countries around the world to better understand Chinese culture, but also attracts the attention of many Chinese astronomers and stars on the planet.

The planet, codenamed 2007OR10 , was discovered in 2007 by three astronomers on the far edge of the solar system, outside the orbit of Neptune. This is one of the redest objects found in the Kuiper Belt in the solar system and it orbits the sun in an elliptical orbit.

The naming of the planet was done through online voting initiated by one of the aforementioned astronomers last year, which selected the names of three gods including the Chinese god Gonggong and the goddess. Holle Winter of Germany and God Vili in Norse mythology. These are mythical figures related to water, ice, snow and red.

The result of Water God Gonggong with red hair, a snake's head was selected and sent to the IAU for approval.

In late February, the IAU's Asteroid Center approved the name and included it in its list of planets.