No more 'Eskimo Nebula': NASA to stop using harmful nicknames for cosmic objects
NASA announced Monday that it will begin renaming existing planets, galaxies and “cosmic objects” whose names may cause hurt, in the wake of the protests surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement.
In a press release, NASA shed light on the process after which planets and nebulae are named by scientists, but said that amid increased awareness of systemic racism around the world, they will now work on identifying discrimination within their own organization. To start, they are acknowledging the harm that certain nicknames can cause.
“NASA is examining its use of unofficial terminology for cosmic objects as part of its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,” the release said. “As an initial step, NASA will no longer refer to planetary nebula NGC 2392, the glowing remains of a Sun-like star that is blowing off its outer layer at the end of its life, as the ‘Eskimo Nebula.'”
The term ‘Eskimo,’ associated with Indigenous communities of the Arctic, is steeped in racism, and NASA noted that most official documents no longer use it. A pair of galaxies called the ‘Siamese Twins Galaxy’ will also be renamed, the space group said. Conjoined twins are often referred to as “Siamese” twins after Chang and Eng Bunker, conjoined twins from Siam (now Thailand) who travelled the U.S. in the late 1800s.
“I support our ongoing re-evaluation of the names which we refer to as astronomical objects,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “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. Science is for everyone and every facet of our work needs to reflect that value.”
In recent times several multinational brands have renamed products which were named based on racial stereotypes. On June 17, PepsiCo. announced it will be renaming its popular breakfast product, Aunt Jemima. Mars Company Ltd. has also announced it will change the “brand identity” of its rice brand Uncle Ben’s, Forbes reported.
Colgate, Nestle and Dreyer’s ice cream are also working on rebranding and renaming certain racially charged products.
As for NASA, the body says that because science is for everyone, it should include everyone.
“These nicknames may have cultural or historical connotations that are objectionable and unwelcoming and NASA is strongly committed to addressing them. Science depends on diverse contributions and benefits everyone, so this means we must make it inclusive,” said Stephen T. Shig, associate administrator for diversity and equal Opportunity at NASA.