Asteroid named after Portuguese astrophysicist
Of the million or so small bodies in the solar system that have been catalogued so far, about half a million of these have a permanent designation, but only 22,505 of them have a name.
Translation by Diana Taborda
Nuno Peixinho is an astrophysicist at the University of Coimbra (UC) and the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA), who now has an asteroid named after him. This recognition was decided by the Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The asteroid, previously known as (40210) 1998 SL56, is now called (40210) Peixinho.
The asteroid was discovered on 16 September 1998. It is over 10 km in diameter, belongs to the asteroid belt and orbits the Sun at an average distance of 3 times the distance of the Earth from the Sun, completing an orbit in about 5.3 years.
Nuno Peixinho works on the physical and chemical characterisation of small bodies in the solar system. He says that having an asteroid named after him "is a feeling that is difficult to describe. Obviously, I feel deeply honoured by this recognition of my work as an astrophysicist. This is work that I have never carried out on my own, but always as part of a team, and I thank everyone for that". In addition to the University of Coimbra, where he is currently based, the researcher also thanks the Universities of Porto, Lisbon, Granada, Hawaii and Antofagasta, as well as the Paris Observatory, institutions where he has worked throughout his career.
The (40210) Peixinho is the kind of asteroid that could cause a mass extinction event if it collided with our planet. "Knowing that there is an asteroid out there in space that is the same size as the one that supposedly collided with the Earth 66 million years ago, causing the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction, including the famous dinosaurs... leaves me speechless," comments Nuno Peixinho.
The naming of each of these bodies is a long process. It is first given a provisional designation according to a well-defined formula that includes the year of discovery, followed by two letters and other numbers if necessary (for example, 1989 BC or 2002 LM60). When its orbit is sufficiently well determined, the body receives a permanent designation, which consists of adding a number to the provisional designation, which is issued sequentially by the Minor Planet Centre- for example, (341) or (40210). Its discoverer is then invited to suggest a name and has the privilege of doing so for a period of ten years after the object has been numbered. All proposed names are evaluated by the Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature. Just over a million small bodies in the solar system have been catalogued so far, and about half a million already have a permanent designation, but only 22,505 of them have a name.
The list of scientists now honoured by the IAU is available here.