Naming Deep Sky Objects

[glenc (Glen)]

If someone finds a comet, the comet is named after them, and rightly so.

I think it would be good if the same applied when someone finds only one deep sky object, or only one galaxy etc.

For example Caroline Herschel only found one galaxy, NGC 253.
I think it should be called Caroline's galaxy.

Nicolas Lacaille only found one galaxy too, M83.
Let's call it Lacaille's galaxy.

Generally I am not in favour of giving extra names to objects, but I think these people deserve recognition.

[Blue Skies (Jacquie)]

I think they do already. What about Malin 1, the galaxy David Malin found in a photo he took?

[GraemeT (Graeme)]

Originally Posted by Blue Skies

I think they do already. What about Malin 1, the galaxy David Malin found in a photo he took?

Yes, THEY do it already. A neighbour brought me a star chart with the star named after her circled - a 9th magnitude blip in Gemini - and asked me how to find it. Her family had paid $? to have a star named after her!
There's one born every minute.

[glenc (Glen)]

Originally Posted by Blue Skies

I think they do already. What about Malin 1, the galaxy David Malin found in a photo he took?

Some recent discoveries have been credited to the finder, but most of the old ones have not.