GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) - A
fourth-grader at Riverview Elementary School has won the National Geographic
planetary mnemonic contest, developing a handy way to remember the newly
assigned 11 planets, including three dwarfs.
National Geographic
Children's Books created the contest in response to the
recent announcement by the scientific community that there are now 11
recognized planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Eris. Ceres,
Pluto and Eris are considered dwarf planets.
Ten-year-old Maryn Smith's
winning mnemonic is My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace
Elephants.
"When I got the call,
my first response was, 'I won?'" Smith said in a statement. "I can't
believe that next year my teacher will be teaching her new class the order of
the planets using my mnemonic!"
Smith's mnemonic will be
published in astronomer David Aguilar's next National Geographic book, "11
Planets: A New View of the Solar System.'' It also will be recorded into a song
by Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Lisa Loeb. Both are scheduled to be
released in March.
SPACE.com Staff
contributed to this report.
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