A recent asteroid has been identified within the solar system's asteroid belt by a member of the International Astronomical Centre in Abu Dhabi. Khalfan bin Sultan Al Nuaimi, the President of the Centre, disclosed that this discovery was achieved through the examination of images supplied by a NASA-backed program in partnership with international collaborators, such as Hardin-Simmons University in Texas, the Pan-STARRS telescope, and the Catalina Sky Survey project. Mohammad Shawkat Odeh, the Director of the centre, pinpointed the asteroid while scrutinizing images taken by the Pan-STARRS 2 telescope at the Haleakala Observatory. Post this identification, an initial discovery certificate was granted to Odeh. The asteroid, currently designated '2022 UY56', will retain this temporary name for several years until comprehensive observations are carried out to ascertain its exact orbit, after which the International Astronomical Union will officially name it.
Text: Lara Palmer
19.08.2024
Asteroid '2022 UY56' identified by International Astronomical Centre in Abu Dhabi