There are several Asteroids Named for Jesuits. More than thirty asteroids today bear the names of Jesuit religious.
Recently 4 newly discovered asteroids were named in honour of Pope Gregory XIII, and the Jesuit priests Johann Hagen, Bill Stoeger and Robert Janusz: 562971 Johannhagen, 551878 Stoeger, 565184 Janusz and 560974 Ugoboncompagni.
The IAU’s Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) published their latest batch of named asteroids. Included in the list are three Jesuits who have worked at the Vatican Observatory and one Pope with importance to the history of the Observatory. In 2020, the Vatican Observatory’s own Fr. Christopher Corbally SJ was honored with an asteroid name.
The IAU’s Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) published their latest batch of named asteroids. Included in the list are three Jesuits who have worked at the Vatican Observatory and one Pope with importance to the history of the Observatory. In 2020, the Vatican Observatory’s own Fr. Christopher Corbally SJ was honored with an asteroid name.
According to the International Astronomical Union, the naming of a particular asteroid (or minor planet) can take, in some cases, decades. When a new minor planet is discovered, it is given a provisional name based on the date of discovery. When the object's orbit is determined in such a way that its position can be reliably predicted in the distant future, usually after it has been observed four or more times as it approaches Earth, then it is assigned a definitive number, issued in succession by the IAU's Minor Planet Centre. At this point its discoverer is invited to suggest a name. (Vatican News Excerpt)
New Asteroids
Fr. Johann Hagen SJ (1847-1930)
562971 Johannhagen is named for Fr. Johann Hagen (1847-1930), who was director of the Vatican Observatory from 1906-1930.
Fr. Wiliam R. Stoeger (1943-2014) [Credit: Jesuits.org]
551878 Stoeger is named for Fr. Bill Stoeger (1943-2014), who was a cosmologist at the Vatican Observatory and a notable theologian in the area of theology and science.
Fr. Robert Janusz SJ
565184 Janusz is named for Fr. Robert Janusz (b. 1964), who formally joined the observatory just a few years ago, but has actively collaborated with the work of the institution (in particular, reducing VATT images) for several decades.
Pope Gregory XIII
The asteroid named for a Pope is 560974 Ugoboncompagni. Ugo Boncompagni is the birth name of Pope Gregory XIII (1502-1585). It was he who directed the reform of the calendar, commissioning the Jesuit Christopher Clavius for the mathematical work of the project, and beginning the tradition of papal astronomers and observatories.
Asteroids Named for Jesuits
Some, like 10692 Opeil (named for Fr Cyril Opeil SJ, professor of physics at Boston College) are recently named.
The text associated with each entry is quoted directly from the Minor Planet Center database or the Dictionary of Minor Planet Names.
2490 Bussolini
Argentine Jesuit and solar physicist Juan Antonio Bussolini (1905–1966) was director of the Observatorio de Fisica Cosmica de San Miguel and a noted supporter of the Felix Aguilar Observatory.
3562 Ignatius
Named in honor of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556), founder of the Jesuits
3727 Maxhell
Named in memory of Maximilian Hell (1720-1792), famous for his determination of the solar parallax from his observations of the transit of Venus in 1769. Appointed director of the Imperial Observatory in Vienna in 1755, he prepared and published an important series of astronomical ephemerides.
3821 Sonet
Jean Sonet (1908-1987), a Belgian Jesuit, was a specialist in Romance languages, professor and later rector (1953-1958) of the University of Namur. From 1958 to his death he was Vice-Rector of the Catholic University of Cordoba (Argentina), where the discoverer met him.
4597 Consolmagno .
Through experimental petrology, Guy Consolmagno (b. 1952) studied the origins of eucritic meteorites. As the curator of the Vatican meteorite collection, Guy’s more recent efforts have focused on determining the densities and porosities of meteorites and making comparisons with the densities of minor planets. Br. Guy Consolmagno SJ is director of the Vatican Observatory and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
New Asteroids
Fr. Johann Hagen SJ (1847-1930)
562971 Johannhagen is named for Fr. Johann Hagen (1847-1930), who was director of the Vatican Observatory from 1906-1930.
Fr. Wiliam R. Stoeger (1943-2014) [Credit: Jesuits.org]
551878 Stoeger is named for Fr. Bill Stoeger (1943-2014), who was a cosmologist at the Vatican Observatory and a notable theologian in the area of theology and science.
Fr. Robert Janusz SJ
565184 Janusz is named for Fr. Robert Janusz (b. 1964), who formally joined the observatory just a few years ago, but has actively collaborated with the work of the institution (in particular, reducing VATT images) for several decades.
Pope Gregory XIII
The asteroid named for a Pope is 560974 Ugoboncompagni. Ugo Boncompagni is the birth name of Pope Gregory XIII (1502-1585). It was he who directed the reform of the calendar, commissioning the Jesuit Christopher Clavius for the mathematical work of the project, and beginning the tradition of papal astronomers and observatories.
Asteroids Named for Jesuits
Some, like 10692 Opeil (named for Fr Cyril Opeil SJ, professor of physics at Boston College) are recently named.
The text associated with each entry is quoted directly from the Minor Planet Center database or the Dictionary of Minor Planet Names.
2490 Bussolini
Argentine Jesuit and solar physicist Juan Antonio Bussolini (1905–1966) was director of the Observatorio de Fisica Cosmica de San Miguel and a noted supporter of the Felix Aguilar Observatory.
3562 Ignatius
Named in honor of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556), founder of the Jesuits
3727 Maxhell
Named in memory of Maximilian Hell (1720-1792), famous for his determination of the solar parallax from his observations of the transit of Venus in 1769. Appointed director of the Imperial Observatory in Vienna in 1755, he prepared and published an important series of astronomical ephemerides.
3821 Sonet
Jean Sonet (1908-1987), a Belgian Jesuit, was a specialist in Romance languages, professor and later rector (1953-1958) of the University of Namur. From 1958 to his death he was Vice-Rector of the Catholic University of Cordoba (Argentina), where the discoverer met him.
4597 Consolmagno .
Through experimental petrology, Guy Consolmagno (b. 1952) studied the origins of eucritic meteorites. As the curator of the Vatican meteorite collection, Guy’s more recent efforts have focused on determining the densities and porosities of meteorites and making comparisons with the densities of minor planets. Br. Guy Consolmagno SJ is director of the Vatican Observatory and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
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