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Worst DSO Nicknames, Gary Imm

Worst DSO Nicknames

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Worst DSO Nicknames, Gary Imm

Worst DSO Nicknames

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I will admit it - I love deep sky objects. There is nothing else like them. They are beautiful, mysterious, and hidden from our view until only recently. Although each object has a designation of letters and numbers, these designations are cold and clinical. Common nicknames are more popular, which have been lovingly and creatively bestowed upon many of these objects over the years to help us remember and refer to them. For example, most people prefer talking about the Rosette Nebula than its designation, NGC 2237. We give names to people, pets, and adored inanimate objects, so it is only fair that our revered sky objects receive names as well. Some of my favorite names actually help create a personality for the object, and include the Horsehead, the Wizard, the Eagle, Thor's Helmet, and the Jellyfish.

However, as much as I love a good nickname, objects should only receive a name if it is appropriate to that object. There is nothing worse to me than an object which has been given a name that is inappropriate or even degrading. Instead of admiring the object, I end up scratching my head trying to understand how the object is supposed to fit the nickname. These objects deserve a better fate. For a long time I just kept my mouth shut and accepted the assumption that the nickname creators had more insight, creativity and imagination that I do. But no longer. I think it is time that we raise our voice for these unfortunate objects and demand better. With that intent, I have identified 18 of the worst nicknames below. For each of these 18, I recommend an alternative when appropriate.

First of all, though, a few caveats. Even though I do not think that objects should be named after people, I will not quibble with that here. Objects such as Bode's Galaxy, Markarian's Chain and Pickering's Triangle could all have easily been more creatively named, but there is a bit of charm in recognizing past historic astronomy figures, so let's just accept it and move on.

Also, I am not going to address the explosion of artificially created names assigned by the two most egregious sources of new nicknames. While I respect the men behind these efforts and I believe they had good intentions, they often went off the tracks in their zeal to assign nicknames. The first source is the famous Stephen James O'Meara, who wrote the excellent series of DSO books that I use extensively. For some reason, in these books he felt compelled to assigned nicknames to most of those objects which did not previously have them. Sometimes it works, but many times it does not. Examples of this latter category include the Kick the Can Cluster, the Peak-a-Boo Nebula, the Bruce Lee Cluster, the Doublemint Cluster, and the Tweedledee/Tweedledum Clusters. These types of nicknames don't exactly conjure up the sense of awe and excitement that is deserving of these objects.

Adding to the new nickname frenzy are those created by Gerard Bodifee and Michel Berger in the "Catalog of 1000 Named Galaxies". Some of the examples include the Areola Galaxy, the False Spouse Galaxy, and the Fertilized Egg Cell Galaxy. Yikes! I don't want my beautiful galaxy named after a nipple! So let's just agree, without further discussion, to put these aside and not to use them from now on.

Now, on to the real list. The list starts with the least offensive nickname at #18, and marches steadily to the most offensive at #1. Please follow along on the attached image.

18. Summer Rose Star (M55): OK, so here we have a beautiful Messier globular cluster that is:

a) Not a star;

b) Doesn't look like a rose; and most importantly

c) Shouldn't be named after an actual 1980's film star who is featured in 100 pornographic flicks.

Besides, Messier objects can stand on their own and don't need nicknames unless they are an excellent fit. Suggested alternative - Simply, M55.

17. Bug Nebula (NGC 6302): Most sources refer to this object as "the Bug Nebula or the Butterfly Nebula". And then they proceed to say that its only resemblance to a bug is a squashed one on a windshield. I don't feel that DSOs should be named after splattered insects. The name Butterfly Nebula is perfectly adequate, although it is used for several different planetary nebula. We'll just have to live with that for now. Suggested alternative - Butterfly Nebula.

16. Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (NGC 300): Every time I see this nickname, I am reminded that this object is not quite as grand as the Pinwheel Galaxy. Granted, it is smaller and not as spectacular, but that doesn't mean that it can't have its own name. Like the Triangulum Galaxy or the Orion Nebula, this object can wear the namesake of its constellation. Suggested alternative - Hydra Galaxy

15. Cleopatra's Eye Nebula (NGC 1535): Well, this is certainly as odd one. I think I can visualize what such an eye would look like, which would be identical to that of Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 movie Cleopatra. But even so, this object looks nothing like that to me. I am not a big fan of naming planetaries after objects unless it is an obvious fit (such as the Owl or the Dumbbell). Besides, this is the only nebula in Eridanus, so that makes it easy. Suggested alternative - Eridanus Nebula.

14. Starfish Cluster  - M38: I have tried many times to connect the dots but I could never come close to a starfish with this one. Some open clusters have patterns which deserve a nickname, but Messier clusters in particular should not have a nickname unless it is a good fit. Suggested alternative - M38.

13. Clown Nebula (NGC 2392): Well, I'll admit up front that I am scared of clowns. So I really don't like the thought of one staring down at me all of the time. Plus, this object already has an appropriate and adorable nickname, the Eskimo Nebula. Although, in this more sensitive age, I am not sure if it is still appropriate to use that nickname. So, just to be safe, I am using an alternative which hopefully will be OK. Suggested alternative - Inuit Nebula.

12. Eight Burst Nebula (NGC 3132): I believe the term "eight-burst" has something to do with the number of gas fronts spewing from the two dying stars. I have examined many images of this object and it escapes me how you could come up with the number 8, or why you would want to name an object in such a matter. This object well resembles an aerial view of one of the most interesting and amazing natural places on earth, the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone. That seems like a perfect fit! Suggested alternative - Grand Prismatic Nebula

11. Skull and Crossbones Nebula (NGC 2467): I suppose if I squint and turn my head a few different ways I can see a skull and crossbones in there somewhere. But even so, is that the best name for this delicate, beautiful, colorful object? It obviously looks like a butterfly. But since there are already a few small planetary nebulae with that same, we'll call it something a bit more. Suggested alternative - Grand Butterfly Nebula.

10. Gumball Cluster (M12): Nope, I don't see a hint of gumballs here, or even a gumball machine. I don't know if I have ever liked a nickname for a globular star cluster. Almost by definition, these globular clusters are spherical and don't form specific patterns. Suggested alternative - M12.

9. Edward Young Star (M110): This nickname for this Andromeda Galaxy satellite may just be a long running prank of some sort. A Google search turns up nothing besides a 17th century English poet, and no mention of how he might be tied to this galaxy. Seriously, how did we reach this point?

Suggested alternative - M110.

8. Beehive Clusters (M44, M41, & IC 4665): So we have the Beehive Cluster (M44), the Little Beehive (M41) and the Summer Beehive (IC 4665). But what exactly are we supposed to be looking at? Beehives don't look anything like these objects. Perhaps we are looking at swarms of bees? That is a lovely thought. I have 3 swarms of bees above my head every night. I don't think so. Suggested alternatives - M44, M41, & IC 4665.

7. Soul Nebula - IC 1848: Well, the Heart Nebula is nearby. So, isn't it cute if we call this object the Soul Nebula? Absolutely not. First of all, nobody knows what a soul looks like. Secondly, I don't like the thought of a random soul staring at me from space. Like clowns and bees, it kind of creeps me out. This object obviously looks like a charging buffalo. What better way to honor one of our most endeared and majestic animals? Suggested alternative - Buffalo Nebula.

6. Grasshopper Galaxy (Arp 55) : This doesn't look like any grasshopper that I have ever seen. I actually did some research to find grasshoppers in various states of hopping, crawling, flying, growing, mating, eating, etc. But I could find none with this shape. Suggested alternative - Shrimp Galaxy.

5. Fishhead Nebula (IC 1795): Hey, look, there's the Fishhead Nebula! Said nobody ever. It looks exactly like an entire fish, for crying out loud! Plus, there aren't any existing Fish Nebula to my knowledge. Perhaps the hobbies of fishing and astronomy don't intersect for most people, but I enjoy them both. Suggested alternative - Fish Nebula.

4. Duck Nebula ( NGC 2359): First of all, it doesn't really look like a duck, unless that duck is violating all laws of physics and is pregnant and flying upside down. Second, this object already has one of the best nicknames of all time. Nope, this one is a non-starter. Suggested alternative - Thor's Helmet.

3. Deer Lick Galaxy Group (NGC 7331): Yes, I understand the backstory. The group was discovered by an amateur astronomer observing at the Deer Lick Gap in North Carolina. But objects shouldn't be named after the place at which they were first seen. Which is why almost all of them aren't. And especially if they are discovered at a place called "Deer Lick". Apologies to any of you who may live there, but I don't like the imagery of a lick to be associated with any beautiful sky object. Suggested Alternative - NGC 7331 Galaxy Group. Or anything else that doesn't contain the word "lick".

2. War and Peace Nebula (NGC 6357): So, let me get this straight. Here is a nebula which has a wonderfully appropriate nickname, the Lobster Nebula. Yet, some scientists saw an infrared image of this nebula and saw a skull and dove in there somewhere, so they decided that it would be good idea to rename this object? Based on a type of image that few people even get to see? I had a tough time seeing dove and skull images clearly in the internet infrared images I examined of this object. This one makes no sense to me. Plus, I don't want any imagery of "war" in a beautiful deep sky object. Suggested alternative - Lobster Nebula.

1. Crab Nebula (M1) : The worst namesake belongs to one of the most famous and wonderful objects in the sky. The first popular sketches of the nebula in 1844 by Lord Rosse looked more like a pineapple than a crab, but the Crab Nebula name somehow stuck anyway, much to Lord Rosse's chagrin. This is #1 on my list because this object is so immensely popular yet bares absolutely no resemblance to its namesake. Plus, to my knowledge this is the first poor namesake to be assigned, paving the way for almost 200 years of future ill-advised nickname assignments. Suggested Alternative - M1 is fine. It's the first Messier object, and that is enough recognition in itself.

Thanks for reading this far and for letting me get this off my chest. I feel better now. In reality, I don't have any hopes that these nicknames will change, and they probably shouldn't. Like weird constellation patterns and odd star names, they contribute to the mystery, intrigue and sense of wonder that makes this hobby so interesting. It wouldn't be as much fun if it all made sense.

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