Reiner Gamma: 1st electromagnetic surface feature on the Moon was originally named Galilaei. Let's revert to that name!

[Holger Isenberg]

I propose to revert the unauthorized name change of the lunar surface feature named today Rainer Gamma done in 1834. Because originally in 1651 Giovanni Battista Riccioli named it Galilaei to honor Galileo Galilei who died 9 years earlier. In 1834 the original name was moved to a nearby crater due to some formalism as only craters are named and not other visible features, which may have been outside of the contemporary scientific worldview.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reiner_Gamma
The central feature of Reiner Gamma resembles the dipolar formation created by iron filings on a surface with a bar magnet on the underside. Low-orbiting spacecraft have observed a relatively strong magnetic field associated with each of these albedo markings.
In early lunar maps by Francesco Maria Grimaldi, this feature was incorrectly identified as a crater. His colleague Giovanni Riccioli then named it Galilaeus, after Galileo Galilei. The name was later transferred northwest to the current crater Galilaei.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reiner_(crater)
Reiner is a crater of Eratosthenian age.[1] It is named after the astronomer Vincentio Reinieri, a disciple of Galileo Galilei.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galilaei_(lunar_crater)
Initially, the name Galilaeus had been applied by Giovanni Battista Riccioli, an Italian Jesuit who produced one of the first detailed maps of the Moon in 1651, to a large and bright nearby albedo feature (now known as Reiner Gamma). The name was transferred to its present location by Johann Heinrich Mädler in his influential Mappa Selenographica, published in collaboration with Wilhelm Beer in four parts between 1834 and 1836. Mädler's motive for this change was the fact that his lunar map did not name albedo features, forcing him to transfer Galileo's name to an insignificant nearby crater.

further references:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galilaei_(lunar_crater)
https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/4987
Named Lunar Formations by Percy Lund Humpharies, 1935: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dl ... 5/mode/2up
p70: 1835 Reiner C (gamma?) -780, 61 Diam.4 Sa.No 12 Fr.No 755 Authority: Mädler
p195: Reiner 1832 Map 11

my original proposal from earlier today: https://x.com/areoinfo/status/1801007359206253052

[Holger Isenberg]

In case a name addition is preferred instead of a plain revert to the old name: Galilaei Impulsus may be something to consider if Latin is the preferred language for surface features and would even fit the electric origin

[Holger Isenberg]

I already planned to suggest that name revert and had it on my todo list since May 23 and shortly after I heard about Intuitive Machines IM-3 mission planning to land there: https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecr ... =IM-3-NOVA

Today's posting https://x.com/JPMajor/status/1800979795293139121 showing this feature lead me now to publish the suggestion.

[Cargo]

This is a battle well fought, and you have honor on your side. I despise such name changes, as if to erase knowledge itself. Entire Countries have been laid low by such desecration. I hope you endure and bring justice.

Never forget the heroes who's tales are never told, or lives spent in silence. For they are all priceless.

[Holger Isenberg]

I have now started the official renaming request to change the name of the Reiner Gamma lunar surface feature to Galilaei Impulsus. The request goes to the IAU via USGS. It's especially important to rename it before the launch of the IM-3 mission which is planned to land at this location in late 2025 or early 2026. This mission is scheduled to investigate its potential use for later human missions to the Moon as this feature's local natural magnetic anomaly may reduce the radiation impact as acts as a shield against the solar wind.

More details and historic background: https://areo.info/galilaei_impulsus.html

Today's announcement for sharing:
https://x.com/areoinfo/status/1894913147884232929
https://bsky.app/profile/areoinfo.bsky. ... 4qk7sn3k27
https://mastodon.world/@areoinfo/114073260198068359

[Holger Isenberg]

The history behind the original naming, Galilaei, given by the discoverer of the swirl, Giovanni Battista Riccioli 9 years after Galileo's death, is quite interesting: Giovanni Battista Riccioli was at first a critique of Galileo's ideas, especially the heliocentric model, but then even confirmed some of his statements, at least those about the motion law for falling objects.

If anyone has ideas to get more traction on my renaming request, let me know, either here or by private message or email.

[Holger Isenberg]

Today my renaming request of Reiner Gamma back to something relating to its pre-1834 original name Galilaei it had since 1651, was rejected by the IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature.

That's in part understandable as currently we cannot demonstrate a compelling scientific justification for changing this name and renamings in general needs to be avoided. We would need more clarification about what lead in 1834 to the loss of the original name.

Had Mädler who changed it, a scientific reason or was it just a scientific error by him mixing up a crater with a swirl or was it based on his personal non-scientific decision to ignore swirls or something else?