Racism had been a topic of concern for the people majorly, but this time it has been a subject matter of dialogue for NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). When they decided to not use discourteous terms for the space objects.
The Space Administration has come out with two offensive names. The term planetary nebula NGC 2392 is commonly known as the Eskimo Nebula. NASA says that '' this term Eskimo is a colonial term with a racist history''. This name has been used for the people in Alaska and if often found by many people as offensive.
''This name is considered derogatory in many other places because it was given by non-Inuit people and was said to mean 'eater of raw meat', said the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska.
NASA will stop using the names starting with the two objects, the first one is ''Eskimo Nebula'' which is used for planetary nebula NGC 2392. And the other one is ''Siamese Twins Galaxy'' which will be now called out by their official names NGC 4567 and NGC 4568. It is said that there were two twins named Chad and Eng Bunker who were publicly exhibited and were used in the Disney film 'Lady and the Tramp' as a racist fashion.
NASA also quoted that ''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''.
Image Source: Mashable.com
Both the sciences and society agree that the terms used are racist and harmful or can hurt the sentiments of people. So they have decided to stop using unofficial names to the space object that might sound racist and go with their official names. NASA also adds that ''use only the official, International Astronomical Union designations in cases where nicknames are inappropriate''.
They further explained "often seemingly innocuous nicknames can be harmful and detract from the science''.
Stephen T. Shih who is NASA's Associate Administrator for Diversity and Equal Opportunity said: "These nicknames and terms may have historical or cultural connotations that are objectionable and unwelcoming, and NASA is strongly committed to addressing them".
