Contests
The National Geographic Society sponsored a contest for a new mnemonic of MVEMCJSUNPE, incorporating the then eleven known planets and dwarf planets, including Eris, Ceres, and the newly demoted Pluto. On February 22, 2008, My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace Elephants, coined by 10-year-old Maryn Smith of Great Falls, Montana, was announced as the winner. The phrase was featured in the song 11 Planets by Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Lisa Loeb and in the book 11 Planets: A New View of the Solar System by David Aguilar (ISBN 978-1426302367). Since the National Geographic competition, two additional bodies have been designated as dwarf planets, Makemake and Haumea, on July 11 and September 17, 2008 respectively. A mnemonic including all five known dwarf planets would probably be "My Very Excellent Mother Constantly Just Serves Us Nine Pizzas, Hamburgers, Meatballs, and Eggplants."
Read more about this topic: Planetary Mnemonic
Famous quotes containing the word contests:
“They had their fortunes to make, everything to gain and nothing to lose. They were schooled in and anxious for debates; forcible in argument; reckless and brilliant. For them it was but a short and natural step from swaying juries in courtroom battles over the ownership of land to swaying constituents in contests for office. For the lawyer, oratory was the escalator that could lift a political candidate to higher ground.”
—Federal Writers’ Project Of The Wor, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“I love to deal with doctrines and events. The contests of men about men I greatly dislike.”
—James A. Garfield (1831–1881)
“In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be wrong.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)