NASA to Stop Using Inappropriate Nicknames for Cosmic Objects
For example, what has been known as the Eskimo Nebula will now be referred to as NGC 2392.
According to NASA s statement, the world Eskimo is widely viewed as a colonial term with a racist history, imposed on the indigenous people of Arctic regions.
The agency also said it would no longer use the name Siamese Twins Galaxy, which it deems inappropriate for referring to NGC 4567 and NGC 4568 a pair of spiral galaxies in the Virgo Galaxy Cluster.
The agency will be working with diversity, inclusion, and equity experts in the astronomical and physical sciences to provide guidance and recommendations for other nicknames and terms for review, it said about its ongoing review.
Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of NASA s Science Mission Directorate, explained in the statement: Our goal is that all names are aligned with our values of diversity and inclusion, and we ll proactively work with the scientific community to help ensure that.
Even astronomy gets PC’ed.