Focus On: (947) Monterosa
Probably named for the Monterosa, a ship used by the University of Hamburg on their outings on the North Sea.
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Asteroids, Focus On, Main belt objects, Virgo discovery
Asteroids, Flora family, Focus On, Inner main belt objects, Main belt objects, Pisces discovery
Focus On: (901) Brunsia
Named in honour of Ernst Heinrich Bruns (1848-1919), a German mathematician and astronomer, who also contributed to the development of the field of theoretical geodesy (measurement of the Earth’s relative geometry, gravity and orientation over time). He was mainly engaged in developing the theoretical side of Earth’s shape.
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Asteroids, Flora family, Focus On, Inner main belt objects, Main belt objects, Pisces discovery
Focus On: (831) Stateira
Stateira was a queen of ancient Persia who died about 400 BCE; wife of Artaxerxes II. She had a son, who became Artaxerxes III. She was a popular ruler, apparently because she talked to ordinary people, but did not get on well with her mother-in-law Parysatis, who eventually poisoned her.
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Asteroids, Focus On, Hilda group, Main belt objects, Outer main belt objects, Virgo discovery
Focus On: (748) Simeïsa
Name origin: Simeïs Observatory and the town of Simeïs, Crimea, Ukraine, where the object was first discovered. A total of 150 minor planets were found at the observatory, which operated as a research site until the mid-1950s and is now used for studying satellite orbits.
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Asteroids, Focus On, Main belt objects, Outer main belt objects, Virgo discovery
Focus On: (744) Aguntina
Aguntum was an ancient Roman site in what is now East Tirol, Austria (about 4km east of Lienz, the discoverer’s birthplace). The city was likely built as a mining and trading centre due to local supplies of iron, copper, zinc and gold.
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Asteroids, Focus On, Main belt objects, Virgo discovery
Focus On: (739) Mandeville
Mandeville is the capital and largest town in the parish of Manchester in Middlesex, Jamaica. It was laid out in 1816, and named after Viscount Mandeville, the eldest son of the Duke of Manchester, who was then governor of Jamaica.
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Asteroids, Flora family, Focus On, Inner main belt objects, Main belt objects, Sagittarius discovery
Focus On: (700) Auravictrix
Auravictrix is Latin for ‘victory against the wind’ (named for the first Schütte-Lanz zeppelin flights in 1911). The Schütte-Lanz company was an early competitor of the more famous airships built by Ferdinand von Zeppelin.
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Aquarius discovery, Asteroids, Focus On, Main belt objects
Focus On: (666) Desdemona
Name origin: Desdemona, character in Shakespeare’s Othello. The name may have been inspired by the asteroid’s provisional designation, containing the letters “DM”. Desdemona is the faithful wife of Othello whose reputation is muddied by the villain Iago.
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Aries discovery, Asteroids, Focus On, Main belt objects
Focus On: (646) Kastalia
Name origin: Greek Naiad at Delphi who, to flee Apollo’s pursuit, threw (or transformed) herself into the sacred springs now bearing her name. The water from the springs bestowed the gifts of prophecy and poetry.
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Asteroids, Focus On, Koronis family, Libra discovery, Main belt objects, Outer main belt objects
Focus On: (534) Nassovia
Named for Nassau Hall, the oldest building at Princeton University. In 1783, when Princeton became the U.S. provincial capital for four months, Nassau Hall served as its seat of government. Congress met in its library on the second floor. The term Old Nassau refers affectionately to the building and serves as a metonym for the university as a whole.
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