Ivory Adajar of Dillingham isn’t one to just wish on a star.
She wants to name one, along with an exoplanet, a planet that orbits a star outside the solar system. That’s how the Bristol Bay salmon gillnet harvester ended up as a finalist in mid-November in a national competition of The International Astronomical Union.
Adajar, a member of the Curyung Tribal Council in Bristol Bay, proposed naming an intergalactic star Nushagak and an exo-planet Mulchatna.
“I have some pretty stiff competitors, but mine is pretty neat,” said Adajar, an Air Force wife who also works as a dental assistant in Dillingham.
In September she entered the competition posed by the astronomical organization, which brings together over 13,500 professional astronomers from over 100 countries and serves as the internationally recognized authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies.
The IAU chose the finalists from among over 900 Native American and Alaska Native entries from around the United States to be voted on by the public, based on decisions of a selection committee of amateur and professional astronomers, teachers and students. Adajar was the only finalist from Alaska.
The voting deadline was Nov. 14. The top three selected by U.S. voters will be submitted to the IAU100 NameExoworlds Steering Committee for a final choice, to be announced the week of Dec. 16.
Adajar writes an astrology page on the social media website Facebook. She grew up set netting in Bristol Bay and now works as a dental assistant when she’s not out fishing.
“I chose the names Nushagak for a star and Mulchatna for an exoplanet because they would be named after Earth’s greatest wild salmon river ecosystems that resembles the nature of the exoplanet’s orbit,” she said. “Mulchatna River connects to the famous Nushgak River, and these rich and historical salmon rivers have contributed greatly to our Alaskan outdoors natural culture. Our salmon fisheries are known for their eccentric paths out to the ocean and back to freshwater. We might not have this natural habitat and rich fisheries in the future, but we can have the star and eco-planet in honor of Alaska’s rich salmon culture and heritage.”
