NASA renames faraway ice world 'Arrokoth' after backlash

Ultima Thule, farst cosmic body ever visited by a craft, has been officially renamed Arrokoth, or "sky" in Native American Powhatan and Algonquian langus, following a significant backlash over old name's Nazi contations.

icy rock, which orbits in dark and frigid Kuiper Belt about a billion miles beyond Pluto, was visited by NASA ship New Horizons in January this year, with first detailed ims showing it consisted of two spheres stuck toger in shape of a swman. Its technical designation is 2014 MU69 but New Horizon team initially nicknamed it Ultima Thule (prounced Tool-ey) after a mythical rrn land in classical and medieval European literature described as beyond borders of kwn world.

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Change after backlash

That name sparked a backlash, however, because it was co-opted by far-right German occultists in early 20th century as fabled ancient rrn country of "Aryan" people ( term y used to describe proto-Indo-Europeans). ir Thule Society later became olf Hitler's Nazi party, and term remains popular in alt-right circles: it is, for example, also name of a Swedish white-power rock group.

new official name, which was chosen by New Horizons team and ratified by International Astromical Union, was anunced in a ceremony at NASA hequarters Tuesday. A subsequent NASA statement me mention of controversy. " name 'Arrokoth' reflects inspiration of looking to skies and wondering about stars and worlds beyond our own," said Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator from Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Coloro.

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"That desire to learn is at heart of New Horizons mission, and we're houred to join with Powhatan community and people of Maryland in this celebration of discovery," NASA ded that y h received consent from Powhatan Tribal elders, and name was chosen to associate culture of native people who lived in region where object was discovered.

Both Hubble Telescope, which found object in 2014, and New Horizons mission (at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory) are operated out of Maryland, whose Chesapeake Bay region is home to Powhatan people. Responding to a query by AFP, NASA emphasised Ultima Thule was only ever a nickname -- but did t comment on wher Nazi controversy played a role in discarding it.

Astrophysicist Simon Porter, who works for New Horizons mission, tweeted: "This took far too long, but I am happy with result. #Arrokoth!" Ocean McIntyre, a NASA science assistant, ded: "Arrokoth is far better of a name for MU69 than Ultima Thule. I'm gl that old moniker didn't make cut. Welcome to newest member of named solar system bodies -- Arrokoth!"

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