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Old 17-04-2012, 07:23 PM
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traveller (Bo)
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the ultimate geek accessory

Just heard this via Twitter, Adam Spencer (mathematician, comedian and ABC radio presenter who famously had a run-in with Lord Mockton last year) now has an asteroid named after him.
See here
This has to be the ultimate geek accessory.
Bo
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Old 17-04-2012, 10:46 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by traveller View Post
Just heard this via Twitter, Adam Spencer (mathematician, comedian and ABC radio presenter who famously had a run-in with Lord Mockton last year) now has an asteroid named after him.
See here
This has to be the ultimate geek accessory.
Bo
18413 Adamspencer (1993 LD1) Discovered 1993 June 13 by R. H. McNaught at Siding Spring Observatory.

With apparent magnitude around 20.66 it might be just a little hard to spot.
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Old 17-04-2012, 10:46 PM
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He is a cool dude.

I reckon he would be pretty chuffed about that.
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Old 17-04-2012, 10:49 PM
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So why isn't it called Asteroid McNaught?

Seems a bit sucky that you discover an Asteroid and they wack someone else's name on it
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Old 17-04-2012, 10:52 PM
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Maybe Rob thinks he has enough comets named after him.
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Old 17-04-2012, 11:54 PM
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More asteroids and comets than funding

Quote:
Originally Posted by ballaratdragons View Post
So why isn't it called Asteroid McNaught?

Seems a bit sucky that you discover an Asteroid and they wack someone else's name on it
Hi Ken,

I believe Rob may currently hold the record for the most number of
comets discovered by any individual in all of history.

It wouldn't surprise me if he held a similar record for asteroid discoveries.
He certainly would be up there.
See http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/~rmn/discov.htm

So Rob would undoubtely have been the one to recommend the name
to the IAU.

I mentioned to Fred Watson at dinner over Easter that it wouldn't
surprise me if the average BBC or Discovery Channel documentary on
the risk of near earth object impacts probably costs more to make
than the entire budget that Rob and Gordon operate on every year
actually looking for them. They work on a shoestring budget and funding
every year is a constant struggle.

http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/~rmn/
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Old 18-04-2012, 12:16 AM
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Thanks Gary
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Old 18-04-2012, 06:47 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ballaratdragons View Post
So why isn't it called Asteroid McNaught?

Seems a bit sucky that you discover an Asteroid and they wack someone else's name on it
Found in Wikipedia
Quote:
3173 McNaught (1981 WY) is a main-belt asteroid discovered on November 24, 1981 by E. Bowell at Flagstaff (AM). Named in honor of Robert H. McNaught.
Found in Quezi
Quote:
The International Astronomical Union's Small Bodies Names Committee is the body officially in charge of governing the names given to asteroids, but the way it works is essentially this: those who discover the asteroid compile a list and present it to the International Astronomical Union's Small Bodies Names Committee. Those suggestions are then whittled down to avoid anything offensive, as well as certain other logistical problems like naming asteroids after living politicians. ... If the discoverer has not presented an acceptable name to the International Astronomical Union's Small Bodies Names Committee after ten years, it pretty much becomes fair game.
so it's quite possible Rob suggested it himself. The 10 years since discovery hasn't expired.
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Old 18-04-2012, 09:37 AM
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Peter Marples has asteriod 7527 Marples (1993 BJ) named after him.
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Old 18-04-2012, 10:24 AM
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Wait, there is more!
Rob also named one after Dr Karl Kuziniscki (sorry about the spelling), the other science geek/nerd on ABC.
Very generous of him
See here.
Bo
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Old 18-04-2012, 01:58 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by traveller View Post
Wait, there is more!
Rob also named one after Dr Karl Kuziniscki (sorry about the spelling), the other science geek/nerd on ABC.
Very generous of him
See here.
Bo
18412 Kruszelnicki (1993 LX) - discovered 1993 June 13 by R. H. McNaught at Siding Spring Observatory.

On the same night as
18413 Adamspencer. Very appropriate that the Sleek Geeks have consecutive numbers, in alphabetic order by surname.

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