X-Nico

14 unusual facts about International Astronomical Union


Aban, Russia

The name Aban has been used for a crater on the planet Mars by the International Astronomical Union, although not specifically commemorating the village.

Achar, Uruguay

The name Achar has been used for a crater on the planet Mars by the International Astronomical Union, although not specifically commemorating the village.

Aki, Kōchi

The name Aki has been used for a crater on the planet Mars by the International Astronomical Union, although not specifically commemorating the city.

Frances Brooke

In 1985, the International Astronomical Union's Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature honoured Frances Moore Brooke by naming a crater after her on the surface of the planet Venus.

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming

The replaying of events include the adversarial challenging of long-held scientific beliefs between some of the world's leading astronomers, and the eventual 2006 International Astronomical Union's vote that removed Pluto from the list of Solar System planets.

Kibalchich

The International Astronomical Union honoured the rocketry pioneer by naming a crater on the moon Kibal'chich.

Magelhaens

Magelhaens is the name used by the International Astronomical Union for features commemorating the explorer Ferdinand Magellan.

Nora Gal

In July 1995 the International Astronomical Union chose to honour her naming one of the asteroids in the Asteroid belt Noragal.

Paul Baize

Since 1954 he often published at the International Astronomical Union Commission 26 Information Circular, the last contribution sending in 1993, when he was 92 years old.

Pieter Johannes van Rhijn

He served as director at the Sterrenkundig Laboratorium (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute) in Groningen and later served for many years as president of the International Astronomical Union (1932-1958).

Pieter Oosterhoff

Between 1951 and 1952 he served as assistant general secretary of the International Astronomical Union, and served as general secretary from 1952 until 1958.

Universal Time

The International Astronomical Union also is involved in setting standards, but the final arbiter of broadcast standards is the International Telecommunication Union or ITU.

In 1935, the term Universal Time was recommended by the International Astronomical Union as a more precise term than Greenwich Mean Time, because GMT could refer to either an astronomical day starting at noon or a civil day starting at midnight.

Zofia Oleśnicka

The International Astronomical Union named one of the volcanic craters on Venus "Olesnicka" in her honour in 1994.


26733 Nanavisitor

Initially designated 2001 HC16, the asteroid was given its present name by the International Astronomical Union in honor of American actress Nana Visitor, who is best known for playing Kira Nerys on the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

26734 Terryfarrell

Initially designated 2001 HG16, the asteroid was given its present name by the International Astronomical Union in honor of American actress Terry Farrell, who is best known for playing Jadzia Dax on the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

74503 Madola

In mid-2009, it was officially named Madola by the International Astronomical Union, in honor of Christian Marois (b. 1974), René Doyon (b. 1963) and David Lafrenière (b. 1978), who developed instruments and techniques that allowed the first direct photograph of an extrasolar planetary system, consisting of three planets orbiting the star HR 8799 in Pegasus.

Lacus Timoris

It was discovered in 1976 and its name was approved by the International Astronomical Union at a meeting in Grenoble.

Sonya Taaffe

Taaffe proposed the name Vanth for the moon of dwarf planet Orcus to its discoverer Mike Brown, which was approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

William Edmund Harper

By 1938 he was suffering from ill-health, which was further undermined by a bout of pneumonia while representing Canada at the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union in Stockholm.