TWO astronomers who worked at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium have had asteroids named after them at a global conference.
Aswin Sekhar, a PHD student who worked at the Armagh Observatory from 2010 to 2014, and former postdoctoral fellow Galin Borisov, who was based at the facility between 2015 and 2021, received the honors at the recent Asteroids, Comets, Meteors Conference 2023 in Arizona for their Armagh work.
The International Astronomical Union recognised Mr Sekhar, who was born in India and is based in Paris, France, for his "contributions to the field of meteors in meteoroid stream dynamics".
Bulgarian-born Mr Borisov was awarded the naming honor for his characterising asteroids "using polarimetric, spectroscopic, and photometric observations".
Mr Sekhar, said: “I am delighted to receive this accolade from the International Astronomical Union. My asteroid has an unusually high eccentricity compared to most asteroids in the main belt which I feel quite matches my personality.”
Together, they are the 23rd and 24th visiting astronomers at the Armagh Observatory to have asteroids named after them.
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Its director, Professor Michael Burton, congratulated the pair on the honours.
“Our observatory is the longest continuously operating astronomical research institute in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and our planetarium is the oldest in operation across the same areas. As such, we are proud to operate at the forefront of astronomy," he said.
