astronomy

List of astronomical objects named after people

List of astronomical objects named after people is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of astronomical objects named after people rather than just read about it. In short: This is a list of astronomical objects named after people. While topological features on Solar System bodies — such as craters, mountains, and valleys — are often named after famous or historical individuals, many stars and deep-sky objects are named after the individual(s) who discovered or otherwise studied it.

Key takeaways

List of astronomical objects named after people belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect List of astronomical objects named after people to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of List of astronomical objects named after people from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

This is a list of astronomical objects named after people. While topological features on Solar System bodies — such as craters, mountains, and valleys — are often named after famous or historical individuals, many stars and deep-sky objects are named after the individual(s) who discovered or otherwise studied it. This list does not include astronomical objects named after mythological or fictional characters.

Clusters and groups

Stars Al Sufi's cluster, also called Brocchi's Cluster, is a coathanger-shaped asterism located in Vulpecula named after Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi and Dalmero Francis Brocchi. Barnard's Star is a dwarf star with the highest known motion relative to the Sun, named after Edward Emerson Barnard Blanco 1 is an open cluster in Sculptor, named after Victor Manuel Blanco. Caroline's Cluster (NGC 2360) is an open cluster in Canis Major, named after Caroline Herschel. Caroline's Rose (NGC 7789) is an open cluster in Cassiopeia, named after Caroline Herschel. Gould Belt is a ring of stars in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way, named after Benjamin Apthorp Gould Grindlay 1 is a globular star cluster in Scorpius, named after Jonathan E. Grindlay. Kemble's Cascade and Kemble's Kite are two asterisms in Camelopardalis, named after Lucian Kemble. Liller 1 is a globular star cluster in Scorpius, named after William Liller. Picot 1, also called Napoleon's Hat, is an asterism in Boötes, named after Fulbert Picot. Ptolemy's Cluster (Messier 7) is an open star cluster in Scorpius, named after Ptolemy. Webb's wreath is a telescopic asterism in Hercules, named after Thomas William Webb.

Galaxies Burbidge's Chain is a group of galaxies located in Cetus, named after Margaret Burbidge. Clowes–Campusano LQG is a large quasar group in Leo, named after Roger Clowes and Luis Campusano. Copeland Septet is group of seven galaxies in Leo, named after Ralph Copeland. Donatiello I, II, III, and IV, a set of dwarf galaxies within the Local Volume named after the Italian amateur astronomer Giuseppe Donatiello. Holmberg, a list of irregular dwarf galaxies named after Erik Holmberg. Keenan's System (Arp 104) is a pair of connected galaxies in Ursa Major, named after Philip Childs Keenan. Maffei 1 and Maffei 2, two large nearby galaxies discovered in 1967 by the italian astronomer Paolo Maffei. Malin 1 and Malin 1B, two LSB galaxies named after David Malin. Markarian's Chain is a chain of galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, named after Benjamin Markarian Robert's Quartet is a group of galaxies in Phoenix, named after Robert Freedman. Seyfert's Sextet is a group of galaxies in Serpens, named after Carl Keenan Seyfert. Stephan's Quintet is a group of galaxies in Pegasus, named after Édouard Stephan. Wild's Triplet is a group of galaxies in Virgo, named after Paul Wild. Willman 1, ultra low-luminosity dwarf galaxy named after Beth Willman. Zwicky's Triplet is a group of galaxies in Hercules, named after Fritz Zwicky.

Galaxy clusters and superclusters Abell clusters - a list of 4000 galaxy clusters in the Abell catalogue, named for George O. Abell. Shapley Supercluster

Comets Comet names are often given for the astronomer(s) who discovered it, but they can also be for scientists who gave significant contributions towards their study.

Interstellar comets 2I/Borisov is the first observed interstellar comet, named after Gennadiy Borisov

Great comets Aristotle's Comet Caesar's Comet Donati's Comet Halley's Comet Comet Skjellerup–Maristany Comet Arend–Roland Comet Mrkos Comet Ikeya–Seki Comet Bennett Comet Kohoutek Comet West Comet Hyakutake Comet Hale–Bopp Comet McNaught Comet Lovejoy

Periodic comets Comet Crommelin, named for Andrew C. D. Crommelin Comet Encke, named for Johann Franz Encke Comet Lexell, named for Anders Johan Lexell

Sungrazing comets Comet Tewfik, named for Tewfik Pasha

Others Lazarus comet

Craters

Galaxies In most cases, the named individual was the person who discovered the galaxy, who first brought attention to it, or who first studied it scientifically. Many of the brighter galaxies visible from the Northern Hemisphere have Messier numbers, named after Charles Messier. There are a few other comprehensive catalogs that assign the cataloguer's name to galaxies. For instance, Markarian galaxies, named after Benjamin Markarian, are galaxies with excess blue and ultraviolet emission; galaxies in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies are assigned an Arp number after Halton Arp who produced the catalog; etc. Objects in these catalogs are excluded below, except in cases where they carry the name of an additional person.

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Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of astronomical objects named after people

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of astronomical objects named after people claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of astronomical objects named after people before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of astronomical objects named after people ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of astronomical objects named after people

In research: List of astronomical objects named after people appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of astronomical objects named after people in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of astronomical objects named after people is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Lists of astronomical objects named after people, Lists of comets, Lists of galaxies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of astronomical objects named after people outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study List of astronomical objects named after people in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what List of astronomical objects named after people means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
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Frequently asked questions

What is List of astronomical objects named after people in simple terms?

Why does List of astronomical objects named after people matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of astronomical objects named after people?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of astronomical objects named after people.