X-Nico

unusual facts about asteroids



466 Tisiphone

In 2006 Fornasier et al. published polarimetric data for a number of asteroids, including 466 Tisiphone.

490 Veritas

Apparently there is a whole “Veritas Family” of asteroids including 490 Veritas, 844 Leontina, 1086 Nata, 2428 Kamenyar, 2934 Aristophanes, 5592 Oshima, and 7231 Porco and some other unnamed asteroids.

762 Pulcova

In the year 2000, Merline estimated Pulcova to have a density of 1.8 g/cm³, which would make it more dense than the binary asteroids 45 Eugenia and 90 Antiope.

9617 Grahamchapman

Gramchapman is named after the comic actor Graham Chapman; it is the first in a series of six asteroids carrying the names of members of the Monty Python comedy troupe, the others being 9618 Johncleese, 9619 Terrygilliam, 9620 Ericidle, 9621 Michaelpalin and 9622 Terryjones.

Alan Stern

They use the camera to search for a hypothetical group of asteroids (Vulcanoids) between the orbit of Mercury and the Sun that are so elusive and hard to see that scientists aren't sure they exist.

Aluminium-26

The isotope is believed to provide enough heat also to small planetary bodies, such as has been in the early history of the asteroids 1 Ceres and 4 Vesta, heating so as to differentiate their interiors.

Asteroid belt

In 1918, the Japanese astronomer Kiyotsugu Hirayama noticed that the orbits of some of the asteroids had similar parameters, forming families or groups.

Astro Pops

Leaf has also expanded the Astro Pops franchise to include Astro Pop Asteroids (smaller bite-sized pieces), and Astro Pops Sodas.

Astrosmash

The resultant game borrows elements from Asteroids and Space Invaders.

Binary asteroid

Binary asteroids with a small satellite, called a "moonlet", have been more commonly observed (see 22 Kalliope, 45 Eugenia, 87 Sylvia, 107 Camilla, 121 Hermione, 130 Elektra, 243 Ida, 283 Emma, 379 Huenna, etc.).

C. J. van Houten

Cornelis Johannes van Houten, Dutch astronomer and prolific discoverer of asteroids

Conquista de Titã

Using virtual reality helmets and an advanced set of controls, they must race each other from Saturn to Titan, avoiding asteroids, fighting space pirates and ultimately landing on the moon in a 3D simulation game.

Cornelis Johannes van Houten

In a jointly-credited trio with Tom Gehrels and Ingrid, and occasionally including fellow astronomer Bernhard Schmidt, he was an extremely prolific discoverer of many thousands of asteroids.

Devon Island

On July 16, 2013, the Canadian Space Agency assigned Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen to a secondment with the Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration of the University of Western Ontario at Haughton Crater in preparation for a potential future manned exploration of Mars, the Moon or the asteroids.

E. Myles Standish

More recently Dr Standish has collaborated with Dr. Elena V. Pitjeva and Dr. Agnes Fienga on the topic of a better determination of the Astronomical Unit and of the masses of the asteroids.

Earth–Minbari War

John Sheridan had his crew seeded several nearby asteroids with a trio of two-megaton tactical nuclear warheads, then sent out a distress call to lure the Black Star back to their position.

Eleanor F. Helin

Helin discovered or co-discovered 872 asteroids, including the first two Aten asteroids: 2062 Aten and 2100 Ra-Shalom; the Apollo asteroids 4660 Nereus, 4769 Castalia and others; various Amor asteroids; three Trojan asteroids including 3240 Laocoon; and 9969 Braille.

Ernst Öpik

His grandson, Lembit Öpik, was formerly the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire, and has some astronomical connection in that he is a noted supporter of searching for asteroids that may collide with the Earth.

Eunomian

The Eunomia family, a large grouping of S-type asteroids named after the Greek goddess Eunomia

Fernand Courty

He joined Bordeaux Observatory when it was founded in 1880 by Georges Rayet and worked as an assistant astronomer; he discovered two asteroids there.

Flora family

The Flora family of asteroids may be the source of the Chicxlub (Cretaceous–Paleogene) impactor, the likely culprit in the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Gaffey

Michael James Gaffey, planetary scientist who specializes in deriving the mineralogies of asteroids from their reflectance spectra

Gefion

Gefion family, a grouping of asteroids in the intermediate main belt

Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex

Goldstone antennas have also been used as sensitive radio telescopes for such scientific investigations as mapping quasars and other celestial radio sources; radar mapping planets, the Moon, comets and asteroids; spotting comets and asteroids with the potential to strike Earth; and the search for ultra-high energy neutrino interactions in the moon by using large-aperture radio antennas.

Herbert Alonzo Howe

Most of Howe's work at the observatory consisted of observations of neglected nebulae from the New General Catalogue, measurements of double stars, and positional work on comets and asteroids.

Ian P. Griffin

Griffin also discovered (via search programmes using small telescopes) and had the privilege of naming of a number of main belt asteroids including 10924 (Mariagriffin), 23990 (Springsteen) and 33179 (Arsenewenger, named after the Arsène Wenger, the manager of Griffin's favorite football team, Arsenal).

Lunar water

Some private companies such as Shackleton Energy Company are already asserting their right to own whatever resources they remove and/or beneficiate from the Moon or asteroids though their own effort, risk and investment.

Lyle Rains

Lyle Rains was a senior executive at the arcade game company Atari and is sometimes, with Ed Logg, listed as a co-developer of the video game Asteroids.

Nora Gal

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

O'Neill cylinder

O'Neill proposed the colonization of space for the 21st century, using materials extracted from the Moon and later from asteroids.

OSIRIS-REx

They indicate that 101955 Bennu is very dark and is classified as a B-type asteroid, a sub-type of the carbonaceous C-group asteroids.

P-type

P-type asteroid, asteroids found in the outer asteroid belt and beyond

Simon Green

Simon F. Green, astronomer who specializes in asteroids, trans-Neptunian objects and the IRAS satellite

Stefano Valentini

He is known for his freewares WinAstrometry (used at many Italian amateur observatories for the calculation of the astrometric positions of the asteroids from CCD images) and waEphemeris, a minor planets ephemeris.

Stony Ridge Observatory

Asteroids 10168 Stony Ridge and 144633 Georgecarroll were discovered at the observatory, and other scientific research (including an extensive lunar photography and mapping project in cooperation with Lockheed upon which the decision on the lunar lander touchdown site was based) has been conducted there.

Terra Diver

Mining facilities are established in different areas outside of Earth, particularly on large asteroids near the Moon and most especially on Mars.

Video game remake

After Atari's demise, Hasbro continued the tradition, with 3D remakes of Pong, Centipede, and Asteroids.

Walter R. Cooney, Jr.

Cooney, who is affiliated with the Highland Road Park Observatory, has discovered more than 60 asteroids, including the 1998 identification of 11739 Baton Rouge, and he is credited with discovering more than 50 variable stars.

William F. Bottke

He has published extensively on the importance of tidal disruption and the Yarkovsky and YORP effects on the physical structure and orbits of asteroids, and the early solar system, particularly the Late Heavy Bombardment.

Zhang Yuzhe

Many asteroids were discovered at Purple Mountain Observatory, as well as three new comets: two periodic, 60P/Tsuchinshan (Tsuchinshan 2) and 62P/Tsuchinshan (Tsuchinshan 1), and one non-periodic, C/1977 V1.


see also