Astronomical honour for Armagh Observatory and Planetarium duo
Two staff members at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium have joined a very select group which includes globally recognised names such as Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Mozart, Elvis, the Beatles and Freddie Mercury.
Meteorological Officer, Shane Kelly and Tours and Outreach Officer, Dr Rok Nežič, have both been honoured by having asteroids named after them.
There are approximately 25,000 asteroids that have official names, which includes many named after real and fictional characters. The naming process is governed by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), which ensures that names are appropriate and follow specific guidelines.
Speaking about his asteroid (20560) Nežič, Dr Rok Nežič said: “I feel very privileged to be honoured in this way. Put in simple terms, an asteroid is a big rock floating in space.
“Both of our asteroids are estimated to be over 10km in size, which is reasonably large, but you would still need a very large telescope to see them as they are out in the asteroid belt.”
Slovenian national, Rok, has been a familiar face at the planetarium for over a decade now.
His expertise in space science, coupled with his recent asteroid honour, have been featured in Slovenia national media and shared by the UK Embassy in Ljubljana. Rok explained: “I started in Armagh with my PhD and I’ve been working with the planetarium full-time since finishing my doctorate in 2020.
“Space was one of the things that fascinated me growing up, and now it’s the foundation of my career.”
Shane Kelly has been the principal meteorological observer at the Observatory for the last 27 years, which has earned him the nomination.
The role involves taking weather readings and training numerous assistant meteorological observers. It is a source of immense pride for everyone at AOP that they have maintained daily readings every single day since 14 July 1795.
Shane’s asteroid is known as (7050) Shanekelly.
He said: “I’m delighted to be honoured in this way as it not only reflects on my role and contribution but it also honours the many people who have undertaken the weather readings since that first day back in July 1795.
“When I look back over the long list of people who have taken weather readings, I can see that the past and present is a continuum and the current is the result of everything that came before. I hope that the readings continue to be taken and this long-term climate archive continues ad infinitum.”
Prof Marc Sarzi, Head of Research at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium said, “We are delighted to hear that Shane and Rok have asteroids named after them and this is quite fitting considering that we run a front-line research program in solar system studies.”
Visit the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium website to access our Weather Logs.