Scientists spend their lives in the pursuit of truth, exploring the secrets of the universe with the help of expensive, sophisticated scientific instruments. And sometimes they give those instruments really, really silly names. Here, we rank the most, uh, creative names that real adult scientists gave to the telescopes that help them explore the cosmos.
Popular Science is looking for the best-named scientific instruments. We’re concentrating on physical devices, rather than algorithms, surveys, systems, or processes—which means amazing names like GANDALF (Gas AND Absorption Line Fitting algorithm) and GADZOOKS! (Gadolinium Antineutrino Detector Zealously Outperforming Old Kamiokande, Super!) won’t make the cut.