90482 Orcus This means that Orcus is currently viewed pole-on, which could explain the near absence of any rotational modulation of its brightness. If, however, the primary is tidally locked with the satellite, the rotational period will coincide with the 9.7-day orbital period of Vanth. This minor planet was named after one of the Roman gods of the underworld, Orcus. While Pluto was the ruler of the underworld, Orcus was a punisher of the damned. The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 26 November 2004 (). Under the guidelines of the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) naming conventions,
Ancient Mesopotamian underworld originally meant "canal inspector of An" and he may be merely an alternative name for Ennugi. The son of Ereshkigal and Gugalanna is Ninazu. In "Inanna's Descent into the Underworld", Inanna tells the gatekeeper Neti that she is descending to the underworld to attend the funeral of "Gugalanna, the husband of my elder sister Ereshkigal". During the Akkadian Period ( 2334 – 2154 BC), Ereshkigal's role as the ruler of the underworld was assigned to Nergal, the god of death. The Akkadians attempted to harmonize this dual rulership of the underworld by making Nergal Ereshkigal's husband. Nergal is the deity