{"id":185554,"date":"2023-10-24T13:37:38","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T23:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=185554"},"modified":"2023-10-24T13:37:38","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T23:37:38","slug":"maui-asteroid-jefferies-manoa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2023\/10\/24\/maui-asteroid-jefferies-manoa\/","title":{"rendered":"Maui-discovered asteroid named for <abbr>UH<\/abbr> astronomy founder"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><figure id=\"attachment_185579\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-185579\" style=\"width: 676px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/manoa-jefferies-ifa.jpeg\" alt=\"John Jefferies at 98 years old\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-full wp-image-185579\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/manoa-jefferies-ifa.jpeg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/manoa-jefferies-ifa-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/manoa-jefferies-ifa-130x73.jpeg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-185579\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">John <abbr>T<\/abbr>. Jefferies celebrated his 98th birthday in April 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A near-Earth asteroid now officially bears the name of a University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> astronomer who founded one of the world\u2019s leading astronomy research programs and helped establish Maunakea astronomy. <a href=\"https:\/\/ssd.jpl.nasa.gov\/tools\/sbdb_lookup.html#\/?sstr=Jefferies&#038;view=VOPDA\">Asteroid (357243) Jefferies<\/a>, with an orbit about 2.5 times larger than Earth\u2019s, was first spotted by <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ifa.hawaii.edu\/\">Institute for Astronomy<\/a> (<abbr>IfA<\/abbr>)\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www2.ifa.hawaii.edu\/research\/Pan-STARRS.shtml\">Pan-<abbr>STARRS<\/abbr> 1<\/a> telescope atop Haleakal&#257; on Maui in October 2011, and carries the name of John <abbr>T<\/abbr>. Jefferies, the department\u2019s inaugural director.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Related <em>Â鶹´«Ã½News<\/em> story:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/12\/20\/uh-designed-sensors-aboard-historic-space-telescope\/\">Ground-breaking <abbr>UH<\/abbr>-designed sensors aboard <abbr>NASA<\/abbr>\u2019s historic space telescope<\/a>, December 20, 2021<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_185578\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-185578\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/manoa-jefferies-groundbreaking-300x169.jpeg\" alt=\"Group of people at the groundbreaking on Maunakea.\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-185578\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/manoa-jefferies-groundbreaking-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/manoa-jefferies-groundbreaking-130x73.jpeg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/manoa-jefferies-groundbreaking.jpeg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-185578\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><abbr>CFHT<\/abbr> groundbreaking on Maunakea, July 2, 1974. From left, Guy Vachon (<abbr>SNC<\/abbr>, Inc., Canada); Rev. Israel Kamoku, John <abbr>T<\/abbr> Jefferies, Roger Cayrel (<abbr>CFHT<\/abbr> Corporation), Kenneth Wright (Dominion Astrophysical Observatory) and John Hoag (<abbr>UH<\/abbr> Board of Regents).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><abbr>IfA<\/abbr> astronomers who discovered the object, which is about a mile in diameter and poses no threat to Earth, proposed Jefferies\u2019 name once the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iau.org\">International Astronomical Union<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Officially naming an asteroid after John Jefferies, who essentially founded the <abbr>IfA<\/abbr>, 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 <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>,&ldquo; said Doug Simons, executive director at <abbr>IfA<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n<p>At least 45 asteroids are named in honor of current and former <abbr>IfA<\/abbr> astronomers, students, staff and more.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Related <em>Â鶹´«Ã½News<\/em> story:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/06\/23\/asteroids-named-after-uh-astronomers\/\">Asteroids named after <abbr>UH<\/abbr> astronomers<\/a>, June 23, 2021<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Astronomical visionary<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_185577\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-185577\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/manoa-jefferies-panstarrs-300x169.jpeg\" alt=\"Telescope on Maunakea\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-185577\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/manoa-jefferies-panstarrs-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/manoa-jefferies-panstarrs-130x73.jpeg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/manoa-jefferies-panstarrs.jpeg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-185577\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><abbr>IfA<\/abbr>\u2019s Pan-<abbr>STARRS<\/abbr> 1 telescope<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Jefferies moved to <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> in 1964 to build a small program in solar physics at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa and went on to create the <abbr>IfA<\/abbr>, 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 <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island and Haleakal&#257;.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Related <em>Â鶹´«Ã½News<\/em> story:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/07\/24\/uh-astronomy-asteroid-discovery\/\">Asteroid discovered by <abbr>UH<\/abbr> telescope will make close pass Monday<\/a>, July 24, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>During his 16-year tenure (1967 to 1983) as director, a new generation of telescopes was established on Maunakea including the <a href=\"https:\/\/www2.ifa.hawaii.edu\/88inch\/88inch.html\"><abbr>UH<\/abbr> 2.2-meter telescope<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfht.hawaii.edu\/\">Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu\/\"><abbr>NASA<\/abbr> Infrared Telescope Facility<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/about.ifa.hawaii.edu\/ukirt\/\">United Kingdom Infrared Telescope<\/a>, two 24-inch <abbr>UH<\/abbr> telescopes, the <a href=\"http:\/\/cso.caltech.edu\/\">Caltech Submillimeter Observatory<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eaobservatory.org\/jcmt\/\">James Clerk Maxwell Telescope<\/a>. Those observatories laid the foundation for the greatest observatory site in the Northern Hemisphere.<\/p>\n<h2>Indigenous ways of knowing<\/h2>\n<p><abbr>IfA<\/abbr> also works alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/imiloahawaii.org\/\"><span aria-label=\"Imiloa\">&#699;Imiloa<\/span> Astronomy Center<\/a> at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Hilo, which oversees weaving traditional Indigenous naming practices with important astronomical discoveries made by telescopes in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>. A <a href=\"https:\/\/imiloahawaii.org\/a-hua-he-inoa\">Hua He Inoa<\/a> is a program where Hawaiian speaking students and educators work with <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>-based astronomers to create names in <span aria-label=\"olelo\">&#699;&#333;lelo<\/span> <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> (Hawaiian language) for objects discovered by <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>-based observatories. The program is a collaborative effort between <span aria-label=\"Imiloa\">&#699;Imiloa<\/span>, <abbr>IfA<\/abbr>, community members, and <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olelo.hawaii.edu\/khuok\/\">Ka Haka <span aria-label=\"Ula\">&#699;Ula<\/span> O <span aria-label=\"Keelikolani\">Ke&#699;elik&#333;lani<\/span> College of Hawaiian Language<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ssd.jpl.nasa.gov\/tools\/sbdb_lookup.html#\/?sstr=Jefferies&#038;view=VOPDA\">For more on Asteroid (357243) Jefferies go to <abbr>NASA<\/abbr>\u2019s website.<\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_185599\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-185599\" style=\"width: 676px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Z7243-1-cropped.gif\" alt=\"Asteroid in space\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-full wp-image-185599\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-185599\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Asteroid (357243) Jefferies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The asteroid is named after John <abbr>T<\/abbr>. Jefferies, the inaugural director of the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Institute for Astronomy. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[34,598,35,9],"class_list":["post-185554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-astronomy","tag-faculty-recognition","tag-institute-for-astronomy","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185554"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185654,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185554\/revisions\/185654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}