Nicknames for Celestial objects

[lensman57]

Hi,

I don't know how you feel about this but I detest some of the names given to these magnificent objects in the sky. Some of the nicknames are acceptable and some even endearing but others I find demeaning. I wonder how you feel about this.

Regards,

A.G

[jambouk]

Can you name some you are not keen on?

I can't think of any off the top of my head which I don't like.

James

[jambouk]

Just thought, I don't like "beetle-juice" - but that is pronunciation rather than nick name i guess.

James

[lensman57]

Can you name some you are not keen on?

I can't think of any off the top of my head which I don't like.

James

I have not named them as recently there have been a couple of posts in the forum and I did not want to cause offence. But calling a galaxy a Spanish dancer or something like Kentucky fried chicken is a little odd and probably inappropriate. I remember a very long time ago the Jubilation of the late Sir Patrick Moore's tone as he thanked god that the twelve constellations were not named after the twelve apostles after a push by  the church and the ancient Greek and Egyptian names held on. I can really sympathise with him.

A.G

[ronin]

I doubt that many of the "nicknames" will actually stick around, the objects are not commonly referred to. Many in a way are oddly caused by Hubble and others, they have identified objects we have not seen and in some poor person had to give them a name. You have 20 minutes to give that a name doesn't allow much in the way of creative thinking. Perhaps HO-123456, or HO-2010-1234 may have been better but people like names, so perhaps an inappropriate/stupid name was picked. Unfortunately likely the first thing that came into someones mind.

Equally have you read how M1, the Crab Nebula, got is name?

It looks nothing like a crab.

Mentioning SPM I recall his "bewilderment" at a set of stars called the "Big G", the odd thing was that the Big G was an arrangement of stars in the Moore Monthly observing list - supposidely his observing list for the month. He knew nothing of them and you could tell he didn't rate the idea of a Big G set of stars much either. Chris Lintott had to move it on before SPM had the chance to ask "which idiot thought this up?"

[JamesF]

Just thought, I don't like "beetle-juice" - but that is pronunciation rather than nick name i guess.

James

Translated from Arabic it means "Armpit of the Great One" or something like that.  Does what it says on the tin

James

[JamesF]

Equally have you read how M1, the Crab Nebula, got is name?

It looks nothing like a crab.

According to this it is so named because it resembles a crab.  I'd be inclined to agree that it does resemble the shape of, say, an edible crab's shell.

If you know a different story for its naming I'd love to hear it.  How some of these objects got their names makes me really wonder sometimes.  Images have been posted here a few times of the "Running Chicken" nebula.  That one's a struggle  The Pelican nebula is sometimes obvious, but other times really hard to make out, depending on how it has been presented.  I'm sure there must be quite a few more that are similar.

James

[jambouk]

I'm happy with "bettle-gurs" just not keen on "beetle-juice". I'm never sure how to pronounce Aldebaran; "Aldi-bar-an" or "Al-deb-ar-an"... For another thread on pronunciation I think.

I've clearly not read enough SGL posts as I've not come across these nicknames - someone feel free to send me a link to any threads where these are mentioned.

James

[hgjevans]

Equally have you read how M1, the Crab Nebula, got is name?

It looks nothing like a crab.

According to this it is so named because it resembles a crab.  I'd be inclined to agree that it does resemble the shape of, say, an edible crab's shell.

Actually I'd say that Lord Rosse's sketch bore at least a passing resemblance to a hermit crab, IMO. It might not look that way today - but we're seeing at it after a further nearly two centuries of the nebula continuing to expand and cool and whatever. 

For myself, the only the only thing I've come across where the popular nickname annoys me is NGC 2169. When I 'discovered' it myself, quite by accident, I made a mental note that it looked a bit like the number '22'. Later, after I had managed to track it down and identify it in Stellarium, Wikipedia then informed me that it was generally thought to look like '37'. I blame the mirrors!

[JamesF]

I just found an image of his sketch.  From that I am struggling to see it as a crab

Jaems

[hgjevans]

Perhaps if you tried averted vision... 

[JamesF]

For the moment I have decided to try averted thought. That is, perhaps it will be clearer if I avoid thinking about it for a while ☺

James

[Qualia]

Although I find it difficult to remember names of the celestial objects, fortunately when it comes to pronouncing them I feel I'm off to a reasonable start. The 1,000 odd year influence of the Arabic langauge on Spanish and the obvious Latin connection to the European language, make pronouncing star names relatively easy. So to my ear the pronunciation of Aldebaran, for example, ought to be something similar to al-DEB-a-rAn. For me at least, something like Altair is not al-tear but more, al-TY-ir, and again, something like Antares, wouldn't be An-TEAR-rees, but more, an-TA-rEs.

Don't get me wrong with the pronunciation; I'm no snob on these matters and couldn't care how others wished to sound their words, but on my own, out in the dark, with only me to talk to I just fall back on way I think it may sound with that Arabic/Latin vibe

When it comes to remembering Messier's objects, I sometimes have a problem recalling what number refers to what celestial object and there are occassions when I have to look them up for the umpteenth time With the NGC lists, I pretty much don't bother at all

When it comes to nicknames, most of them don't bother me. I find the Dumbbell or Omega Neb, for example, a little odd, but I find I also do my own nicknaming. The Wild Duck Cluster is no more, but instead to my eyes the Rising Pheonix, the Hercules Glob is the Exploding Chandelier or Catherine Wheel