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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Asteroid named after Filipino astronomer

Asteroid named after Filipino astronomer

Published Feb 6, 2022 02:43 pm

The Paris-based International Astronomical Union (IAU) has named a minor planet in honor of Filipino neurosurgeon and amateur astronomer Dr. Jose Francisco A. "Jett" Aguilar.

Dr. Jose Francisco A. "Jett" Aguilar (DOST handout)

According to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), "7431 Jettaguilar," an eight-kilometer-wide asteroid circling the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter has been named after the 60-year-old medical doctor.

Aguilar has been providing neurosurgical services to Filipino children for more than 20 years, his recent surgeries included the successful removal of a parasitic twin from a three-week-old infant boy in 2019.

"He is also the clinical director of the Philippine Movement Disorder Surgery Center, which pioneered 'Deep Brain Stimulation' surgery of Filipino patients afflicted with rare genetic movement disorder called 'X-Linked Dystonia Parkinsonism'," the DOST said in a statement.

Aguilar has been an ardent astrophotographer for over 15 years and his photos of the Sun, the transit of Venus, lunar eclipses, and other celestial events have been published in Spaceweaather.com and Skyandtelescope.org, according to the Department.

"He is also an avid eclipse chaser, and he has traveled overseas with members of the ALP to observe and photograph total and annular solar eclipses in China, Indonesia, the United States, and Singapore," the DOST added.

The naming of the asteroid was proposed to the IAU to recognize the contributions of Aguilar to the medical field and the Philippine astronomy, DOST bared.

Asteroid 7431 Jettaguilar revolves around the Sun at an average distance of about 463 million kilometers and takes about 5.4 years to complete one orbit.

According to the Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) Bulletin, the asteroid was discovered on March 19, 1993, from the European Southern Observatory in La Silla, Chile and was given the preliminary designation 1993 FN41.

The IAU's 15-member WGSBN is the sole scientific organization with the authority and responsibility of assigning names to small solar system bodies such as asteroids, comets, and the satellites of minor planets.

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Department of Science and Technology International Astronomical Union
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