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IAU To Uwingu: You Can't Name That Martian Crater Either
RocketAcademy writes "The International Astronomical Union has thrown a tantrum over a plan to crowdsource names for craters on Mars. The IAU gives official scientific names to craters, but it has only bothered with craters that have 'scientific significance.' The science-funding platform Uwingu has launched a campaign to come up with popular names for the remaining craters. For as little as $5, a member of the public can name one of the craters on Uwingu's map, with the proceeds going to fund space science and education. This caused the IAU to issue a statement condemning such crowdsourcing efforts. The IAU pointed out that it did allow the public to vote on names for two of Pluto's moons, in the past. In that case, however, the IAU rejected the winning name (Vulcan)."
Last year, the IAU got into a spat with Uwingu over naming exoplanets. Sounds like the old name a star scam, on Mars.
You want the privilege of naming? No problem. But you have to get there first. Put up or shut up, bitch.
SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
The reason why the IAU is the body that gets to name celestial objects is international recognition. If every country used its own naming scheme, pretty soon the scientific communication would become a complete muddle.
-Bob-
Well just like the star naming scam, no-one "gets to decide" and anyone can name anything they like.
I could rename the craters of Mars after my relatives if I wanted to. Yes, even the ones that already have names. No-one, however, is likely to pay my naming the slightest bit of attention, because I have neither authority nor importance. Just like UWingo.
The International Astronomical Union, on the otherhand, have a fair degree of recognition. Feel free to ignore them, but you'll find that most people concerned with Mars are happy for them to take the lead on naming.
You can name whatever you like whatever you want. No muss, no fuss, no red tape, no nothing.
Achieving a name recognized by somebody other than you is a somewhat more complex problem, usually requiring a certain amount of give-and-take in terms of "I'll accept your stupid idea if you endure mine" type arrangements.
For all the histrionics about it, Nobody was somehow magically anointed the Super Name Czar by some magically authoritative process. Some organizations have their shit together, and any names in a given domain not endorsed by them are pretty much just private nicknames, some don't; but that's it.
Who's going to know what they were named a thousand years from now, and how many times will those names be changed by people yet to be born
Outside of America it's pretty common to live in places named thousands of years ago.
It's their set of standards and references, that's why. If you want to have your own body of standards in astronomy, or chemistry, or whatever, there's nothing stopping you from making one up and trying to convince people to use it. Just don't expect anyone to actually pay attention to it.
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
Even by the dry standards of academic discourse this is pretty meek:
Recently initiatives that capitalise on the public’s interest in space and astronomy have proliferated, some putting a price tag on naming space objects and their features, such as Mars craters. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) would like to emphasise that such initiatives go against the spirit of free and equal access to space, as well as against internationally recognised standards. Hence no purchased names can ever be used on official maps and globes. The IAU encourages the public to become involved in the naming process of space objects and their features by following the officially recognised (and free) methods.
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
Like anything official, it's official because it's recognized. In this case recognized by everyone in the scientific field, academia and governments.
Its like saying the Olympics aren't official becasue you can buy your own trophy.
This is a case of the IAU alerting potential victims that the name won't be recognized, and that UWingo should be telling people it will be.
As long as UWingo makes that clear, the IAU won't really care.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Otherwise it is just a waste of money. Learned that the hard way ........
That's way better than a crater.
Yeah, but "Crater" is more descriptive of my relationships with women.
Their authority comes from the fact that working astronomers respect and pay attention to its decisions (as well they might; the same working astronomers constitute its membership). That's the only kind of authority that matters, isn't it? Being a body that does things right often enough that people favour your standards? It works for the IUPAC and naming elements.
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
Confirmed comets are always named after their first two discoverers; the fact that they also have a catalogue designation for the books doesn't change that.
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
Exactly. The IAU might be able to create the name by which scientists refer to the craters (so that they have the same name in all languages). In real life, the craters will be called whatever people decide to call them popularly. It's like the bellis perennis. You might hear scientists refer to it that way. To the rest of the English speaking world it's a daisy.
Even in the U.S. it is possible to find place names (nearly) that old. American Indian names that are still in use are not hard to find, although the pronunciation tends to be corrupted.
Because America was an unpopulated wilderness 500 years ago?
Perhaps you meant something other than the OP said: New groups of people make new names for places that supersede what the previous occupants used.
If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
The Quote of the Day below is currently:
When it is incorrect, it is, at least *authoritatively* incorrect. -- Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy
If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
or Constantinople... um no Istanbul.
Hey, that's nobody's business but the Turks...