Six Polish scientists and an Argentine planetary researcher working in Poland have been honoured with asteroids named after them, in recognition of their work in astronomy, planetary science and geology.
The names were announced in July in issues of the WGSBN Bulletin, published by the International Astronomical Union’s Working Group on Small Bodies Nomenclature, which is responsible for naming minor planets.
The Polish scientists honoured are planetary geologist Anna Łosiak and astronomers Emil Wilawer, Karolina Jadwiga Dziadura, Krzysztof Langner, Monika Kamińska and Roman Hirsch. Argentine planetary scientist Milagros Rita Colazo, who is currently working at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, was also recognised.
The asteroid (20160) Annałosiak, previously designated 1996 TH42, was named after Anna Łosiak, a planetary geologist at the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Born in 1982, Łosiak studies meteorite craters on Earth and other celestial bodies. She has also become involved in efforts to establish the Impact Morasko Science Centre near the Morasko meteorite craters in Poznań.
The asteroid was discovered on October 8, 1996, at the La Silla Observatory in Chile by Belgian astronomer Eric Walter Elst (1936-2022), who discovered several thousand asteroids.
(20322) Emilwilawer, formerly known as 1998 HZ20, honours Polish astronomer Emil Wilawer, born in 1993.
Wilawer studies the physical properties of asteroids, specialising in determining their phase curves from dense light curves and data collected by surveys such as Gaia.
The asteroid was discovered on April 20, 1998, near Socorro in the United States as part of the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) programme.
(20446) Karolinadziadura, previously designated 1999 JB80, was named after Karolina Jadwiga Dziadura, a Polish astronomer who received her doctorate in planetary astronomy from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań in 2024.
Her research focuses on the Yarkovsky effect — a phenomenon in which the absorption and re-emission of heat by a rotating asteroid can alter its orbital motion. She also studies asteroid densities and uses stellar occultations and photometric data to determine their sizes, rotation and shapes.
The asteroid was discovered on May 14, 1999, by the LINEAR programme.
Another Polish astronomer honoured was Krzysztof Langner, born in 1989. The asteroid (20459) Krzysztoflangner has been known since September 9, 1999, when it was discovered by the LINEAR project.
Langner studies asteroid dynamics, including the double asteroid Didymos-Dimorphos as part of NASA’s DART mission and the European Space Agency’s Hera mission.
The asteroid (20551) Monikakamińska, formerly known as 1999 RE112, was named after Monika Kamińska, a Polish astronomer at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.
Kamińska has observed asteroids for many years and is currently primarily responsible for observations made with the Roman Baranowski Telescope, also known as the Poznań Spectroscopic Telescope 2, at Winer Observatory in Arizona.
The asteroid was discovered by LINEAR on September 9, 1999.
The sixth Polish scientist honoured was Roman Hirsch, an astronomer at Adam Mickiewicz University who has participated in asteroid observations at the Borówiec Observatory for years.
He also takes part in observations made with the Nordic Optical Telescope on La Palma. The asteroid (20636) Romanhirsch now bears his name.
The seventh researcher honoured was Milagros Rita Colazo, an Argentine planetary scientist affiliated with Adam Mickiewicz University and its Institute of Astronomical Observatory.
Colazo completed her PhD at the National University of Córdoba in 2023 and is now a postdoctoral researcher in Poznań. Her research focuses on asteroid phase curves — graphs showing how an asteroid’s brightness changes depending on its phase angle — as well as photometry and large-scale sky surveys such as the upcoming LSST.
The asteroid (20280) Colazo, formerly designated 1998 FQ49, was discovered on March 30, 1998, as part of the LINEAR programme.
The latest names recognise researchers working across several areas of planetary science, from asteroid properties and orbital dynamics to meteorite craters and long-term astronomical observations. (PAP)
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