A near-Earth asteroid now officially bears the name of a University of 麻豆传媒 astronomer who founded one of the world’s leading astronomy research programs and helped establish Maunakea astronomy. , with an orbit about 2.5 times larger than Earth’s, was first spotted by UH (IfA)’蝉 telescope atop Haleakalā on Maui in October 2011, and carries the name of John T. Jefferies, the department’s inaugural director.
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IfA astronomers who discovered the object, which is about a mile in diameter and poses no threat to Earth, proposed Jefferies’ name once the , which is responsible for assigning names to celestial bodies, determined the object was indeed an asteroid. The solar system is home to tens of millions of asteroids, which are rocky bodies ranging in size from a few feet, to dwarf planets the size of our Moon. Most of these bodies are distant, however a number orbit close to the Earth, and are known as near-Earth objects.
“Officially naming an asteroid after John Jefferies, who essentially founded the IfA, is a timeless way of paying tribute to an astronomer that made a truly lasting and deep contribution to astronomy by enabling an enormous amount of education and research in 麻豆传媒,“ said Doug Simons, executive director at IfA.
At least 45 asteroids are named in honor of current and former IfA astronomers, students, staff and more.
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Astronomical visionary
Jefferies moved to 麻豆传媒 in 1964 to build a small program in solar physics at UH Mānoa and went on to create the IfA, which today is an internationally recognized research institute and one of the largest university astronomy programs in the world, with observatories on Maunakea and Maunaloa on 麻豆传媒 Island and Haleakalā.
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During his 16-year tenure (1967 to 1983) as director, a new generation of telescopes was established on Maunakea including the , , , , two 24-inch UH telescopes, the and the . Those observatories laid the foundation for the greatest observatory site in the Northern Hemisphere.
Indigenous ways of knowing
IfA also works alongside at UH Hilo, which oversees weaving traditional Indigenous naming practices with important astronomical discoveries made by telescopes in 麻豆传媒. A is a program where Hawaiian speaking students and educators work with 麻豆传媒-based astronomers to create names in ʻōlelo 麻豆传媒 (Hawaiian language) for objects discovered by 麻豆传媒-based observatories. The program is a collaborative effort between ʻImiloa, IfA, community members, and UH 贬颈濒辞’蝉 .
