I love talking about astronomy. It is fascinating and raps up science, history, mythology, mathematics and culture into one brilliant container. StarTalk is a podcast by Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson and some other hosts. The episode I came across today that tickled my fancy is about how the planets and moons in our solar system got their names, the exceptions to the rule, and the reasons why. The episode was with Mr Chuck Nice, a comedian who asked questions that we non-professional astronomists would love to ask and would make it funny and understandable to the common man in the street. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has been the body responsible for naming astronomical bodies since its inception in 1919. They followed a rule when it came to naming the planets. Since these have been known to us since antiquity, they use their Latin names as done in other fields like Medicine, Chemistry, etc. The Romans knew of seven bright objects in the sky: the Sun, the Moon, and th...