Name origin: Hawai’ian goddess of fertility and childbirth. Mother of many important deities (including Pele, Hi’iaka and Namaka) and herself among the first worshipped on the Hawai’ian islands. She repeatedly transforms herself from an old woman to a young girl, and returns to her homeland periodically to give birth to further generations of humans.
Focus On: (136108) Haumea Read Post »
Name origin: Greek son of Zeus and Europa. Because of his just and upright life, after death Rhadamanthus was appointed a judge of the dead and the ruler of Elysium, a blissfully beautiful area of the Underworld where those favoured by the gods spent their life after death.
Focus On: (38083) Rhadamanthus Read Post »
sbolos was a diviner who read omens in the flight of birds, and who predicted the battle with the Lapiths. He eventually caused the fight with Herakles (by bringing the centaurs when he saw Herakles’ wine opened), and thus was indirectly responsible for the deaths of Pholus and Chiron.
Focus On: (8405) Asbolus Read Post »
Name origin: Jack B. Child (b. 1951), software engineer at JPL and Asteroid Project director of the World Space Foundation; honoured for his “generous helpfulness” and for introducing team members to the Palomar project.
Focus On: (4580) Child Read Post »
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.
Focus On: (534) Nassovia Read Post »
Named for Brünn, now Brno, Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and is currently the second-largest city in the Czech Republic after Prague.
Focus On: (290) Bruna Read Post »
Sapientia is Latin for “wisdom”. The corresponding Ancient Greek term (Sophia) variously translates to “clever, skillful, intelligent, wise”; it also implies “skill in handicraft and art” in Homeric usage, which has been applied to both Hephaistos and Athene.
Focus On: (275) Sapientia Read Post »
Name origin: Cleopatra, queen of Egypt from about 50 BCE to her death in 30 BCE. Realising she needed Rome’s help to sustain her nation, she became the lover of Julius Caesar and, later, the wife of Mark Antony. However, during the war between Antony and Octavian (Augustus), Antony was defeated and Cleopatra’s kingdom was finally annexed by Rome.
Focus On: (216) Kleopatra Read Post »
Circe was a Greek goddess of sorcery, skilled in various magics, potions and herbs. She lived on the island of Aiaia with her nymph companions, and is best known for her appearance in the Odyssey.
Focus On: (34) Circe Read Post »
Name origin: Greek sea goddess and wife of Poseidon. He courted her in the form of a dolphin (or, in some tellings, sent a dolphin as messenger).
Focus On: (29) Amphitrite Read Post »
