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UAE astronomer discovers new asteroid; celestial rock yet to be formally named

Following this discovery, an initial certificate was issued to Mohammad Shawkat Odeh

Published: Mon 19 Aug 2024, 12:48 PM

Updated: Mon 19 Aug 2024, 9:45 PM

  • By
  • Wam

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Photo: Wam

Photo: Wam

A new asteroid was discovered within the asteroid belt of the solar system by a team member of the International Astronomical Centre in Abu Dhabi.

Khalfan bin Sultan Al Nuaimi, President of the Centre, revealed that the discovery was made through the analysis of images provided by a NASA-supported programme in collaboration with international partners, including Hardin-Simmons University in Texas, the Pan-STARRS telescope and the Catalina Sky Survey project.

Mohammad Shawkat Odeh, Director of the centre, identified the asteroid while examining images captured by the Pan-STARRS 2 telescope at the Haleakala Observatory.

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Following this discovery, an initial discovery certificate was issued to Odeh.

The asteroid, temporarily named '2022 UY56', will remain under this name for several years until extensive observations are conducted to determine its precise orbit, after which the International Astronomical Union will formally name it.

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