Long time ago when we was fab
For many years, the naming convention of the asteroids required that they be named after goddesses, since they were considered to be "minor planets." Only the major planets were named after gods. But after hundreds of asteroids had been discovered in the Main Belt, the rule was relaxed to allow naming them after any female human. Eventually, when more asteroids were found, the rules were relaxed further to allow naming asteroids after male humans. And when asteroid discoveries became even more numerous, the IAU (International Astronomical Union) pretty much granted an "anything goes" policy for naming asteroids.
At some point, discoverers were given the permission to name asteroids after their family members, their friends, or anyone who was famous (or not). Permission was also granted to name asteroids after places (cities, states, and countries on earth), geological formations, animals (including pets), and plants. The only non-relaxed rule is that discoverers may not name asteroids after themselves.
By the end of the 20th century, asteroids were being named after all kinds of celebrities like movie stars, sports heroes, talk show hosts, artists, and scientists.
In rare cases, consecutive numbers of asteroids were named for famous people. For instance, asteroids (30439) Moe, (30440) Larry, and (30441) Curly, were named for the Three Stooges. As an afterthought, (30444) Shemp was added.
To get the naming rights for consecutive asteroid numbers requires either that you discover that many consecutive asteroids yourself (which is pretty hard to do with so many transient-object observatories competing with each other), or that you persuade other discoverers to forfeit the naming rights of one or more of their discoveries.
In 1868, astronomer Wilhelm Tempel (discoverer of Comet Tempel 1) discovered an asteroid and he named it after Clotho, one of the Three Fates. In his words, "It seems to me that it would be somewhat poetic to give the last three planets (97), (98), and (99) the names of the three Fates: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, not with the idea that Atropos's scissors should cut short this research, but with the thought of dividing the first hundred of these minor planets, which certainly represent a great and noble astronomical undertaking."
Tempel, however, was unable to convince other astronomers to embrace his suggestion. So, instead of consecutive numbers, the Three Fates ended up being (97) Klotho, (120) Lachesis, and (273) Atropos.
Another interesting series of asteroid numbers was named for the actors/comedians of Monty Python's Flying Circus: consecutive asteroid numbers (9617) Grahamchapman, (9618) Johncleese, (9619) Terrygilliam, (9620) Ericidle, (9621) Michaelpalin, and (9622) Terryjones. These six asteroids were all discovered by the same observatory, making it relatively simple to assign consecutive asteroid numbers to the members of Monty Python.
It is not surprising, then, that the most famous group of rock stars, The Beatles, would have consecutive space rocks named after them! Asteroids (4147) Lennon, (4148) McCartney, (4149) Harrison, and (4150) Starr were assigned to asteroids discovered in 1983 and 1984 by astronomers at Anderson Mesa Station (part of Lowell Observatory in Arizona, where Pluto was discovered).
As an amateur supernova hunter, I come across asteroids all the time, when they happen to pass near my target galaxies. Asteroids can look like supernovae when they're very close to galaxies, so one of the first things I do when I find a "new star" in the vicinity of a galaxy I've just shot is to check and see if it's a known asteroid. If there are no asteroids predicted to be near my target galaxy on that night, I can be reasonably sure that the new star I'm looking at is a supernova. To ensure that it's not an undiscovered asteroid or comet, I'll wait awhile and come back to see if the object moves. If the object doesn't move, it can't be an asteroid or a comet. But it still could be a variable star or nova. I have to leave it for the pros to sort out.
Supernova hunting can be quite boring. I sometimes search for months without finding any new stars in my target galaxies. During my early years of searching, I was so focused on finding supernovae that I gave up opportunities to go after other interesting and transient objects that, after all, look identical to supernovae. Then one night I woke up in a daze and realized that the universe was sending these other targets to me, arriving like strangers in the night. "I might as well take on a side hobby of imaging asteroids and comets," I reasoned.
Shooting asteroids with amateur-sized telescopes is complicated. Asteroids are small objects that we can see only because they reflect sunlight (like all the major planets and their moons). Our telescopes don't magnify the stars so that we can study them warts and all. Neither can we zoom in on the asteroids. Unlike the major planets and other "extended objects" (such as nebulae and galaxies), stars and asteroids remain mere pinpoints of light in our images. And while a distant star can shine very brightly due to its massive size (millions of miles in diameter), the brightness of a tiny asteroid's pinpoint of light depends on its size (typically less than thousands of miles in diameter), its distance from the earth and sun, and the angle we view it from.
Like the phases of our moon, which make it brighter at full moon than at first quarter, the asteroids have phases. They're just too small for us to resolve their phases. We only see the effects of their phases, which make them appear brighter or dimmer to us. Because the asteroids are "outer planets" (i.e., farther away from the sun than the earth), their phases can only be gibbous, and not crescent. But a gibbous phase is still dimmer than a full phase.
Furthermore, Main Belt asteroids are very far away from us (150 million miles, or thereabouts), reducing their brightness according to the inverse-square law. An asteroid at opposition (180 degrees from the sun with earth precisely in between, like full moon) might be bright enough to pick up with small, backyard telescopes; but when the angle is smaller (say, nearly 90 degrees, like the moon at first quarter), that same asteroid might be too dim to record with our scopes.
Therefore, it takes planning to go after specific asteroids. To catch them at their brightest, we need to shoot them when they are closest to earth, and because of orbital dynamics, we sometimes have to wait a couple of years until the earth and our target asteroid are on the same side of the sun and when the asteroid is also at its closest distance to both the sun and earth.
My interest in the asteroids is about as deep as my interest to go after all of Messier's or Herschel's deep-sky objects. The asteroids, like deep-sky object lists, are numbered, which makes them a collection. We amateur astronomers enjoy tackling collections of objects. But there are so many asteroids that it truly is impossible for one person, with one scope and camera, to do it all. So, I pick and choose which ones I'm going to target merely by how meaningful their names are to me.
In addition to randomly selected asteroids named for famous people, persons, and things, I decided to target a small sub list: the first 100 numbered asteroids. This project took me three years. Some people have gone after the first 1,000 numbered asteroids or the first 10,000, but these lists are both too big for me. Supernova hunting is my world, my only love. I don't mind taking a break every now and then and going after an asteroid on my list, but the only way for me to collect thousands of asteroids would be to make asteroid shooting my primary task.
I and my fab telescope gear are aging, and I don't know when the buzz gonna come and take astronomy away from me. If my telescope or camera were to fail tomorrow, my imaging days would likely be over. I can't justify the cost of replacing these expensive items against my retirement budget.
So, I am very happy to have completed the capture of The Fab Four! It took me a little more than a year. As for other asteroid groups on my list, I'm really hoping to at least finish the Three Stooges and the Monty Python Six.
I can't get (30440) Larry until May or June of 2026, and (30349) Moe has to wait until March or April of 2027. In February of 2026, I should be able to pick up (9617) Grahamchapman, the last one I need to complete my list of the real "Flying Circus."
(Answers to "7 Phrases" Challenge:
2) "Arrived like strangers in the night"
3) "[And we did] it all"
4) "[You're] my world, [you are] my only love"
5) "[The microscopes] that magnified the [tears], [studied] warts and all"
6) "Fab! ...... Gear!"
7) "When the buzz gonna come and take [you] away")
Comments
Post a Comment