NASA drops racially charged nicknames of celestial bodies

NASA, in the wake of the global anti-racism movement, has decided to do away with racially charged nicknames of celestial bodies.

NASA is examining its use of phrases for planets, galaxies and other cosmic objects "as part of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion."

First ones that appear in the should-be dropped list are -- "Eskimo Nebula" and "Siamese Twins Galaxy".

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"Nicknames are often more approachable and public-friendly than official names for cosmic objects, such as Barnard 33, whose nickname 'the Horsehead Nebula' invokes its appearance. But often seemingly innocuous nicknames can be harmful and detract from the science," NASA said in a release this week.

The renaming trend followed worldwide protests against racism and police brutality after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police.

The space agency says it "will use only the official, International Astronomical Union designations in cases where nicknames are inappropriate."

"Eskimo" is commonly used in Alaska to refer to Inuit and Yupik people, according to the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska.

"Siamese twins" is an antiquated expression for conjoined twins, based on brothers from Siam (now Thailand) who were used as sideshow freaks in the 19th century.