Eldorado Posted August 8, 2020 #1 Share Posted August 8, 2020 “As the scientific community works to identify and address systemic discrimination and inequality in all aspects of the field, it has become clear that certain cosmic nicknames are not only insensitive but can be actively harmful,” the agency said in a news release. “NASA is examining its use of unofficial terminology for cosmic objects as part of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Full story at the NY Post: Link Houston Chronicle: Link From our heroes at NASA: Link 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted August 8, 2020 #2 Share Posted August 8, 2020 The title is slightly misleading as the objects in question are mostly, if not entirely, not planets. They are nebulae and galaxies. Also NASA will continue th use nicknames EXCEPT where they are considered inappropriate. Of all the objects NASA has examined so far there are only two nicknames that they will no longer use. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XenoFish Posted August 8, 2020 #3 Share Posted August 8, 2020 Gaseous cloud might offend bloated people. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eight bits Posted August 8, 2020 #4 Share Posted August 8, 2020 Not my field, but I was suprised at the two examples. Eskimo and Siamese twin have long since fallen out of favor both in their respective disciplines and in general writing for publication here in North America. The bureaucrats are playing catch-up, it would seem, decades behind the language in general. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted August 8, 2020 #5 Share Posted August 8, 2020 1 hour ago, eight bits said: Not my field, but I was suprised at the two examples. Eskimo and Siamese twin have long since fallen out of favor both in their respective disciplines and in general writing for publication here in North America. The bureaucrats are playing catch-up, it would seem, decades behind the language in general. These nicknames have been in use for many decades. I doubt that anyone has ever thought to look at them before. They are not official names and so it is not a case of bureaucrats catching up as such, as the bureaucrats are not really responsible for them in the first place. All of these objects will have an official name, approved by the International Astronomical Union. NASA has chosen to use these names only when the nickname is potentially offensive. The reality is that this will have virtually no impact on NASA or the astronomical community. Most of these nicknames occur because of the appearance of the object. Most are named after animals or inanimate objects. I very much doubt NASA will find many more that they deem inappropriate. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithisco Posted September 13, 2020 #6 Share Posted September 13, 2020 So is "Eskimo" to be replaced with Inuit, Iñupiat, Yupik,or even Aleut? Seriously, many IAU official designations are hopelessly complex and easy to incorrectly state hence the use of nicknames, as a form of shorthand that is instantly recognisable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hammerclaw Posted September 14, 2020 #7 Share Posted September 14, 2020 On 8/8/2020 at 6:26 AM, eight bits said: Not my field, but I was suprised at the two examples. Eskimo and Siamese twin have long since fallen out of favor both in their respective disciplines and in general writing for publication here in North America. The bureaucrats are playing catch-up, it would seem, decades behind the language in general. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now