Venetia Burney

Venetia Katharine Douglas Burney, later known as Venetia Phair, was an English accountant and teacher. She was born on 11 July 1918 and passed away on 30 April 2009.

She is famous because, when she was just 11 years old, she was the first person to suggest the name Pluto for a new object in the sky. This object was later found by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930 and became known as a dwarf planet.

Her idea was sent to an astronomer, and soon the name Pluto was chosen. Because of this, Venetia Burney became known around the world for helping to name one of the most famous objects in our solar system.

Biography

Venetia Burney was born on July 11, 1918. She was the granddaughter of Falconer Madan, who worked at the Bodleian Library of the University of Oxford. In March 1930, Madan told her about a new planet that Clyde Tombaugh had discovered. Venetia suggested the name Pluto, after the Roman god who could make himself invisible. Astronomers liked her idea because the name started with the letters of Percival Lowell, who had predicted this planet. Soon, Pluto became the official name.

Venetia studied economics and became a chartered accountant. She taught economics and mathematics at schools in London until she retired in the 1980s. She married Edward Maxwell Phair in 1947, and he passed away in 2006. Venetia died on April 30, 2009, at the age of 90. When scientists talked about changing Pluto’s status to a dwarf planet, she shared her thoughts in an interview.

Legacy

The asteroid 6235 Burney and a spot on Pluto called the Burney impact basin were named for Venetia Burney. In 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft visited Pluto and had an instrument called the Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter to remember her. Scientists visited her home with special gifts to celebrate.

A rock band from Massachusetts named The Venetia Fair picked their name after hearing about Venetia Phair, especially when Pluto became a dwarf planet.