Oron and Rahab Join the Solar System

“Oron” and “Rahab” have joined the solar system. The Hebrew Language Academy in Jerusalem has assigned Hebrew names to Uranus and Neptune, respectively:  the two planets that historically lacked Hebrew monikers. The naming of the two planets was an effort by The Unit for Science-Oriented Youth at Tel Aviv University’s School of Education and carried out as part of UNESCO’s International Year of Astronomy. Internet users submitted thousands of names, which a team of experts narrowed down to four. The winning entries were selected in an Internet vote. “Oron” is similar to “Uranus” phonetically and “Rahab” is a Biblical/Talmudic nautical reference, like “Neptune.”