Talk:NGC 278

Got7
On 7 January 2020‎, there were 44 edits to this article, consisting of unsourced additions and reversions thereof, claiming as shown here: "This galaxy has been named as GOT7 on 16th [sic] January 2020. GOT7 is a famous KPOP boy band and their fans dedicated this galaxy to GOT7 as a gift for their 6th anniversary." Consequent to this persistent vandalism, an admin protected the page for a week requiring autoconfirmed or confirmed access to edit.

The next day, an autoconfirmed user reinstated the disputed claim, citing the website of Windowpane Observatory, which is not otherwise mentioned on English Wikipedia. It turns out that Windowpane Observatory is a private, for-profit company with no academic, governmental or other institutional affiliation. Instead, for a fee, Windowpane Observatory sells certificates purporting to designate a numbered galaxy from the New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars to a name of the customer's choice. Gift packages are sold ranging from $19.95 to $74.95. "Why would folks be interested in such a thing?" founder Bill Georgevich asks rhetorically. "What I found out was that it allowed them to make a personal connection with the cosmos even if it did not have any scientific value. Like adopting a stretch of highway or naming a dolphin, it was the gesture that connected them."

To state the obvious, Windowpane Observatory is not a WP:RS. By their own admission, their "certification" has no scientific value. For us to cite this commercial service as somehow legitimizing a South Korean boy band would violate WP:PROMO, WP:NOTADVERTISING, and WP:NPOV. Please do not restore this attempted hijacking of a science-related Wikipedia article without first gaining consensus here at Talk. NedFausa (talk) 22:27, 8 January 2020 (UTC)