2007 OR10 was discovered almost a decade ago and remains the largest dwarf planet in our solar system without a name! Mike Brown, the astronomer responsible for discovering the planet, originally nicknamed it “Snow White.” The name was based on the assumption that it must have a highly reflective surface to be able to be detected from Earth at all, similar to one of his previous discoveries, Eris, also known as the ‘Pluto killer.’ However, as fate would have it, 2007 OR10 turned out not to be so white after all. It’s actually one of the reddest objects discovered in the outer solar system to date! It is for this reason as well as a few others that I propose we should name 2007 OR10, “R’hllor!”

R’hllor, also known as the red god and the ‘Lord of Light,’ is one of the main deities from the critically acclaimed “A Song of Ice and Fire” series by George R.R. Martin which the hit HBO show “Game of Thrones” is based upon. The association between the unnamed red planet and the ‘God of Flame and Shadow’ makes sense. Not only because of the color, but many of George R.R. Martin’s other works are sci-fi themed and the author shows a great passion for space exploration. Naming 2007 OR10 after R’hllor would be a great ode to George R.R. Martin who has come to be seen as a modern day Tolkien. Even doling out a pop culture name to the dwarf planet would not be unprecedented! Another likely dwarf planet, previously named 2003 MW12, was named Varda after a J.R.R. Tolkien character.

Let’s do George R.R. Martin and the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series this honor while also getting people excited about the future of the series and more importantly, space exploration and science in general! Let’s name 2007 OR10 R’hllor!