Andrea Boattini

Last updated
Minor planets discovered: 306 [1]
see § List of discovered minor planets

Andrea Boattini (born 16 September 1969) is an Italian astronomer and a prolific discoverer of minor planets and comets. [2]

Contents

Career

After developing a growing interest in minor planets, he graduated in 1996 from the University of Bologna with a thesis on near-Earth objects (NEOs). He is involved in various projects related to NEO follow-up and search programs, with special interest in the NEO class known as Atens. [2]

He currently works at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona after many years spent at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR, National Research Council) and the Astronomical Observatory in Rome. He worked for the Catalina Sky Survey project from 2007 to 2014, in Tucson, Arizona (USA). Meanwhile, he discovered the active comets C/2007 W1 (Boattini), C/2008 J1 (Boattini), C/2008 S3 (Boattini), C/2009 P2 (Boattini), C/2009 W2 (Boattini), C/2010 F1 (Boattini), C/2010 G1 (Boattini) as well as the most distant discovery of an inbound active comet, C/2010 U3 (Boattini). [3] He also accidentally recovered 206P/Barnard-Boattini from the Mount Lemmon Survey (also see lost comet).

Honors

Asteroid 8925 Boattini is named in his honour. [2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) on 2 February 1999 ( M.P.C. 33793). [4]

List of discovered minor planets

Andrea Boattini is credited by the MPC with the discovery of hundreds of minor planets made between 1977 (see following comment) and 2006. [1]

The minor planet (48381) 1977 SU3, discovered at the Siding Spring Observatory on 17 September 1977, is credited by the MPC to Andrea Boattini and his older co-discoverer Giuseppe Forti (born 1939). [5] However Boattini did not co-discover this asteroid on the day after his 8th birthday in 1977, but rather recovered the body from the original observations, referenced as MPS 18832, [5] which were published by the MPC on 13 October 2000. [4] He named the asteroids 12848 Agostino and 14973 Rossirosina, in honor of his father Agostino (born 1932) and his mother, Rosina Rossi Boattini (born 1934). [6] [7]

In addition to the officially discovered (i.e. numbered) minor planets, near-Earth asteroids 2007 WD5 and 2012 FC71 , first observed by Boattini in 2007 and 2012, respectively. His co-discoverers are: A M. Tombelli, B V. Goretti, C A. Di Paola, D L. Tesi, E G. Forti, F G. D'Abramo, G F. Pedichini, H A. Caronia, J A. Di Clemente, K F. Bernardi, L V. Cecchini, M H. Scholl, N M. Mazzucato. [1]

List of discovered comets

Andrea Boattini has also discovered or re-discovered 25 comets (see table).

See also

Related Research Articles

The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(8925) Boattini". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (8925) Boattini. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 671. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_7280. ISBN   978-3-540-29925-7.
  3. Meech, Karen J; Kleyna, Jan T; Hainaut, Olivier; Micheli, Marco; Bauer, James; Denneau, Larry; Keane, Jacqueline V; Stephens, Haynes; Jedicke, Robert; Wainscoat, Richard; Weryk, Robert; Flewelling, Heather; Lilly, Eva; Magnier, Eugene; Chambers, Kenneth C (2017). "CO-Driven Activity in Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS)". The Astrophysical Journal. 849 (1): L8. arXiv: 1710.03876 . Bibcode:2017ApJ...849L...8M. doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa921f . S2CID   119214098.
  4. 1 2 "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  5. 1 2 "48381 (1977 SU3)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  6. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(12848) Agostino". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (12848) Agostino. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 789. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_8689. ISBN   978-3-540-29925-7.
  7. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(14973) Rossirosina". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (14973) Rossirosina. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 819. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_9073. ISBN   978-3-540-29925-7.
  8. "Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC) 2007-W63". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  9. "Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC) 2008-J17". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  10. "Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC) 2008-P05". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  11. "Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC) 2008-S96 - comet C/2008 S3 (Boattini)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  12. "Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC) 2008-T30 - comet P/2008 T1 (Boattini)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  13. "Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC) 2008-T89 - comet P/2008 T3 (Boattini)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  14. "Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC) 2008-Y53; comet C/2008 Y1 (Boattini)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  15. "Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC) 2009-B46 : comet C/2009 B1 (Boattini)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  16. "Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC) 2009-B50 - comet P/2009 B1 (Boattini)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  17. "Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC) 2009-Q14; comet C/2008 P2 (Boattini)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  18. "Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC) 2009-Q84; comet C/2008 Q2 (Boattini)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  19. "Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC) 2009-W103; comet C/2009 W2 (Boattini)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  20. "Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC) 2010-F31; comet C/2010 F1 (Boattini)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  21. "Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC) 2010-G27; comet C/2010 G1 (Boattini)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  22. "Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPEC) 2010-J32; comet C/2010 J1 (Boattini)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  23. MPEC 2010-U18 : COMET P/2010 U1 (BOATTINI)
  24. MPEC 2010-V55 : COMET C/2010 U3 (BOATTINI))
  25. MPEC 2011-K56 : COMET P/2011 JB15 (SPACEWATCH-BOATTINI)
  26. MPEC 2011-L42 : COMET C/2011 L6 (BOATTINI)
  27. MPEC 2011-V13 : COMET P/2011 V1 (BOATTINI)
  28. MPEC 2011-Y49 : COMET P/2011 Y2 (BOATTINI)
  29. MPEC 2011-Y50 : COMET C/2011 Y3 (BOATTINI)
  30. M.P.E.C. 2013-F46 : COMET C/2013 F1 (BOATTINI)
  31. MPEC 2013-H45 : COMET C/2013 H2 (BOATTINI)
  32. MPEC 2013-K25 : COMET C/2013 J5 (BOATTINI))
  33. MPEC 2013-V32 : COMET C/2013 V1 (BOATTINI)