The pointless dispute of “astronomers” who want to rename the Magellanic Clouds

The recent news has stirred up the cosmos. A group of scientists has sparked a debate about renaming the celestial bodies commonly referred to as ‘Magellan’s Clouds’. Their argument? Magellan was not only implicated in enslavement and violence against indigenous people, but he wasn’t the original discoverer of these clouds either.

Magellan, a prominent figure in history hailing from Portugal, is known for his brutal conquests and his infamous journey around the world. Despite his notoriety, certain scholars argue that the honor of naming two galaxies after him is undeserved.

David W. Hogg, a renowned physicist and data science professor at New York University, shared his views with Space.com. He emphasized that the primary issue lies not with Magellan’s questionable past, but with the fact that these clouds were known to locals in South America long before Magellan’s time. 

A 2020 article in The Messenger magazine further supports this claim. Before becoming ‘Magellan’s Clouds’, these celestial bodies were known as ‘Cape Cloud’ to the Portuguese, and ‘Nubecula Minor’ and ‘Nubecula Major’ in scientific communities. Johann Bayer, a German lawyer and astronomer who created the first modern star atlas in 1603, also used these names.

For us, this iconoclastic wave carried by extremists of politically correct must stop, no time should be wasted on useless debates, we must commit ourselves to a clear separation of science and politics. What’s your take on this matter? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!

Source: Space.com