The largest dwarf planet in the solar system (previously designated “2003 UB313” and unofficially named “Xena”) has now been officially named Eris and its satellite is now Dysnomia.
Eris is a good choice as it is the name of the Greek goddess of discord and refelects the heated debates over what to name the lump. FYI: Eris was the sister of Ares (the god of War), daughter of Zeus and Hera, the hand of Eris can be seen in every quarrel, feud and disagreement. Her eternal and unforgiving rage was the cause of fear and respect on Mount Olympos (Olympus), though despised by the Olympians they dared not confront her.” [Stewart, Michael. “Eris”, Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant. http://messagenet.com/myths/bios/eris.html (November 14, 2005)] It gets better: In Greek mythology Dysnomia was the daughter of Eris and the name means “lawlessness.” Even better than that, Dysnomia is also a medical condition described as a “marked difficulty in remembering names or recalling words needed for oral or written language” (See Wikipedia). So, we have lawlessness (with a defective memory) orbiting quarrelsomeness. Read the New York Times article on the planetoid’s naming for the full details of how Eris got named.
