Right on the heals of last month’s announcement of three additional Jesuits and a Pope getting asteroids names after them (and that appearing in the New York Times), three more Jesuits have had asteroids named after them – two of those were former directors of the Vatican Observatory!
Johan Stein, SJ (1871–1951)
(483637) Johanstein = 2004 TM347
Discovery: 2004-10-12 / K. Černis, J. Zdanavičius * / Moletai / 152
Johan Stein SJ (1888–1952) was a Dutch astronomer, a student of H. A. Lorentz, noted for his work on variable stars. He served as director of the Vatican Observatory from 1930 until his death. During the war he opened the observatory to 12,000 refugees. Queen Juliana made him a Knight of the Lion of Holland, and a lunar crater is named for him.
Fr. Martin F. McCarthy, SJ (1923–2010)
(483615) Martinmccarthy = 2004 SP41
Discovery: 2004-09-18 / K. Černis, J. Zdanavičius * / Moletai / 152
Fr. Martin F. McCarthy SJ (1923–2010) was an American astronomer noted for his study of carbon stars. At the Vatican Observatory from 1958–1999, he served as a key figure in the Observatory’s transition to the world of modern research. In 1986 he founded the Vatican Observatory Summer Schools in Astrophysics, an initiative which has become world renowned.
Obituary by George Coyne, SJ & Vera Rubin
Orbit on the JPL Small Body Database
Fr. Patrick Treanor SJ (1920–1978)
(483636) Treanor = 2004 TJ347
Discovery: 2004-10-11 / K. Černis, J. Zdanavičius * / Moletai / 152
Fr. Patrick Treanor SJ (1920–1978) was an English astronomer noted for research on polarized light from stars and the interstellar medium. While at Oxford, he won the Johnson Memorial Prize for his doctoral thesis on interference phenomena. He served as director of the Vatican Observatory from 1970 until his death.
Bio on The Pontifical Academy of Sciences
Orbit on the JPL Small Body Database
Source: IAU: WG Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) Volume 3, #5 (2023 Apr 10)
I expect to see a post sometime soon by Br. Bob Macke with an updated image of asteroids named for Jesuits – which is getting pretty crowded!
