the ultimate geek accessory

[traveller]

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 (http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=18413;orb=1;cov=0;log =0;cad=0#orb)
This has to be the ultimate geek accessory.
Bo

[mithrandir]

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.

[Ric]

He is a cool dude.

I reckon he would be pretty chuffed about that.

[ballaratdragons]

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 :mad2:

[Ric]

Maybe Rob thinks he has enough comets named after him. :D

[gary]

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/

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks Gary :thumbsup:

[mithrandir]

Found in Wikipedia Found in Quezi so it's quite possible Rob suggested it himself. The 10 years since discovery hasn't expired.

[thunderchildobs]

Peter Marples has asteriod 7527 Marples (1993 BJ) named after him.

[traveller]

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 :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
See here. (http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=18412;orb=1;cov=0;log =0;cad=0#orb)
Bo

[mithrandir]

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.