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Saturday, Feb 22, 2025
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Math grad sees his name in the stars
Hong Kong may yet see another "son of the stars" born after 17 years now that a 23-year-old "transmedia astronomer and astro-musician" has discovered a new Apollo-class asteroid.
Exodus Sit Chun-Long discovered the asteroid in May through a large University of Hawaii telescope, putting him in line to have that heavenly object carry his name.
The body, called "2021 JM6" for now, has been classified as a near-Earth asteroid by NASA and the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center.
Sit, a Hong Kong University of Science and Technology graduate, is over the moon as he has been dreaming of having an asteroid named after himself since he was little.
"I have been promoting astronomy for years, and I am always wondering if I can have an asteroid named after me."
Sit, a maths graduate, faces quite a wait though as the union, the only organization that regulates the naming of asteroids, takes six to 10 years to finalize a naming.
After years of assessment, a minor planet, or an asteroid, will have a "permanent designation," a number issued by the Minor Planet Center. After that, the discoverer will be invited to nominate a name for approval by the union.
It took Sit up to a year to discover the asteroid in a process he found "difficult."
Sit said he was lucky as he was unable to travel to Hawaii during the pandemic and could only use the telescope remotely.
He also worked with a team from the university in the analysis of thousands of photos and data.
"As the asteroid is only 40 meters in diameter, we took more time to research and prove my finding," Sit added.
The asteroid he discovered orbits the sun every 798 days, and it is expected to be closest to Earth in 2080, when it will be 3.9 million kilometers away.
NASA considers that not potentially hazardous, and its computer simulations discount the likelihood of a future collision.
Sit was also delighted that his analysis and simulation of the asteroid's shape and path was adopted by NASA's Eyes on Asteroids - an online app that offers a three-dimensional view of the solar system with real-time tracking of asteroids and comets widely available to people on their devices.
Sit said he would keep promoting astronomy and use his creativity to combine arts and the sciences in his endeavors.
He is hoping to be the second Hongkonger to have an asteroid named after him, with Stark Chan Yik-hei getting the honor in 2005, when he was just 16, with asteroid 20780.
Chan also won a second award in engineering at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair with a domestic security robot in 2004.
The body, called "2021 JM6" for now, has been classified as a near-Earth asteroid by NASA and the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center.
Sit, a Hong Kong University of Science and Technology graduate, is over the moon as he has been dreaming of having an asteroid named after himself since he was little.
"I have been promoting astronomy for years, and I am always wondering if I can have an asteroid named after me."
Sit, a maths graduate, faces quite a wait though as the union, the only organization that regulates the naming of asteroids, takes six to 10 years to finalize a naming.
After years of assessment, a minor planet, or an asteroid, will have a "permanent designation," a number issued by the Minor Planet Center. After that, the discoverer will be invited to nominate a name for approval by the union.
It took Sit up to a year to discover the asteroid in a process he found "difficult."
Sit said he was lucky as he was unable to travel to Hawaii during the pandemic and could only use the telescope remotely.
He also worked with a team from the university in the analysis of thousands of photos and data.
"As the asteroid is only 40 meters in diameter, we took more time to research and prove my finding," Sit added.
The asteroid he discovered orbits the sun every 798 days, and it is expected to be closest to Earth in 2080, when it will be 3.9 million kilometers away.
NASA considers that not potentially hazardous, and its computer simulations discount the likelihood of a future collision.
Sit was also delighted that his analysis and simulation of the asteroid's shape and path was adopted by NASA's Eyes on Asteroids - an online app that offers a three-dimensional view of the solar system with real-time tracking of asteroids and comets widely available to people on their devices.
Sit said he would keep promoting astronomy and use his creativity to combine arts and the sciences in his endeavors.
He is hoping to be the second Hongkonger to have an asteroid named after him, with Stark Chan Yik-hei getting the honor in 2005, when he was just 16, with asteroid 20780.
Chan also won a second award in engineering at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair with a domestic security robot in 2004.
