Venetia Burney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Venetia Burney
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Venetia Burney aged 11
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| Born |
Venetia Katharine Douglas Burney
11 July 1918 |
| Died | 30 April 2009 (aged 90) Banstead, England
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| Known for | Naming Pluto |
| Spouse(s) |
Edward Maxwell Phair
(m. 1947–2006) |
| Children | Patrick Phair |
| Parent(s) |
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| Relatives | Falconer Madan, grandfather |
Venetia Burney was an English woman who worked as an accountant and a teacher. She is famous for suggesting the name Pluto for the dwarf planet. She was only 11 years old when she came up with the idea in 1930. The astronomer Clyde Tombaugh had just discovered this new object in space.
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About Venetia Burney
Venetia Burney was born on July 11, 1918. Her father was Charles Fox Burney. Her grandfather was Falconer Madan, who worked as a librarian at Oxford University.
How She Named Pluto
On March 14, 1930, Venetia's grandfather, Falconer Madan, read about the new planet's discovery. He told Venetia about it. She thought of the name Pluto. Pluto was the Roman God of the Underworld. He was known for being able to make himself invisible.
Falconer Madan sent Venetia's idea to an astronomer named Herbert Hall Turner. Turner then sent a message to American astronomers at Lowell Observatory. Clyde Tombaugh, the astronomer who found the planet, liked the name. It started with the letters "P" and "L," which were the initials of Percival Lowell. Lowell was an astronomer who had predicted a "Planet X" in that part of space.
On May 1, 1930, the name Pluto was officially chosen for the new space object. Even though some people have wondered if she was truly the first to think of the name, she is officially given credit for it.
Venetia's Life and Work
Venetia went to Downe House School in Berkshire. She later studied economics at Newnham College, Cambridge. After college, she became a chartered accountant. This means she was a professional who managed money for people or businesses.
Later in life, she became a teacher. She taught economics and mathematics at schools for girls in southwest London. In 1947, she married Edward Maxwell Phair. He passed away in 2006. Venetia Burney Phair died on April 30, 2009, when she was 90 years old. She was buried in Leatherhead, Surrey.
A few months before Pluto was changed from a planet to a dwarf planet, Venetia was asked what she thought. She said, "At my age, I've been largely indifferent [to the debate]; though I suppose I would prefer it to remain a planet." This shows she still had a soft spot for the planet she named.
Venetia's Legacy
Venetia Burney's name lives on in space.
Names in Space
- An asteroid was named 6235 Burney in her honor.
- A crater on Pluto itself was named Burney Crater.
New Horizons Spacecraft
In July 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft was the first to fly past Pluto. It carried a special tool called the Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter. This tool was named to honor her. Scientists Mihaly Horanyi and Alan Stern visited Mrs. Phair at her home. They gave her a special plaque, a certificate, and a model of the spacecraft.
Music and More
A rock band from Massachusetts called The Venetia Fair chose their name after reading about Venetia Phair. This happened around the time Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet.
See also
In Spanish: Venetia Phair para niños
