Most cosmic surfaces are named after men and one researcher is not happy with the bias

The guidelines for naming a planet’s surface features are not gender inclusive and are biased in favour of men, a researcher at The Open University has alleged.

Annie Lennox’s allegations are backed by an analysis of the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) database, which reveals that only two per cent of the known Moon craters are named after women.

Planetary features generally include craters, mountains, valleys, canyons, oceans and volcanoes discovered on a planet or its satellite.

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Lennox wrote an open letter to the IAU – an international association of professional astronomers – urging them to change the policies governing the naming of planetary features, which she claims are biased towards “cisgender (cis) white men.”

“Distant craters on the Moon, Mars and Mercury record a history much closer to home: celebrating the achievements of mankind, and to a much lesser extent womankind,” she wrote in her letter.

Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Riccioli initiated the practice of naming lunar craters in 1635, adopting the titles of renowned scientists for his discoveries—an approach still followed by the IAU today.

Although the IAU doesn't directly assign names, it facilitates the formation of working groups or task forces to propose and approve names for specific features, often guided by historical figures, mythology, or cultural themes.

Lennox highlighted the impact of IAU's guidelines on the diversity and inclusivity of scientific communities responsible for naming.

“Surface features are named following conventions that are set and maintained by the IAU. Frustratingly, elements of the current conventions crystallise historic injustices and contribute to a lack of diversity within the nomenclature,” she writes.

Her research revealed that Mercury exhibits a slightly better representation of women, with 11.8 per cent of its 415 craters having female names.

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On the other hand, planetary features on Mars show a significant gender disparity, with only 1.8 per cent of its 280 craters named after women. Venus, while having all craters named after females, sees a nuanced situation—only 38 per cent are attributed to actual women who made substantial contributions to society, as noted by Lennox.

“On the one planet intended to exclusively celebrate the contributions of women, more features have been given meaningless, arbitrary female first names or the names of mythological goddesses than those of real women,” she points out.

(With inputs from agencies)