The names of two Uzbek astronomers have been included in international astronomical catalogs. Now, two minor planets will officially be named after Uzbek scientists Kamoliddin Ergashev and Otabek Burkhonov. This was reported by the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan.
According to the report, on July 9 of this year, the official bulletin published by the Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) of the International Astronomical Union noted that asteroids were named in honor of two staff members of the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Accordingly, in the international astronomical catalogs, asteroid number (131358) has been registered as "Kamolerhashev", and asteroid number (121339) as "Otabekburkhonov".
It is noted that the asteroid later named "Kamolerhashev" was initially registered with the provisional designation 2001 KA2, and was discovered on May 19, 2001, at the Ondřejov Observatory in the Czech Republic by Czech astronomers.
The official statement notes that Kamoliddin Ergashev has been engaged in asteroid research at the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences since 2007, and received a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in this field in 2024. His scientific work is dedicated to asteroid photometry, analysis of light curves, determining their physical properties, as well as studying asteroid pairs, clusters, and binary systems.
The asteroid named "Otabekburkhonov" was initially registered with the provisional designation 1999 TO15, and was discovered on October 13, 1999, by Czech astronomers.
According to official information, Otabek Burkhonov has been working at the Mirzo Ulugbek Astronomical Institute since 2000. He received the degree of Candidate of Sciences in 2005. The scientist's main research covers optical photometry, asteroid light curves, variable stars, gravitationally lensed quasars, and optical follow-up observations of gamma-ray bursts at the Maidanak Observatory.
According to the Academy of Sciences, naming asteroids after scientists is a high international recognition of their contribution to the development of science. The approved names are included in the international astronomical nomenclature and will henceforth be used as the official names of these celestial bodies in scientific articles, catalogs, and ephemerides.
"The naming of two asteroids after Uzbek astronomers is a joyful and proud event for the country's astronomy. The Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and the team of the Mirzo Ulugbek Astronomical Institute sincerely congratulate Kamoliddin Ergashev and Otabek Burkhonov on this prestigious international recognition," the report states.
For information, Kamoliddin Ergashev and Otabek Burkhonov have also been awarded NASA's "Group Achievement Award" for their participation in projects under the Planetary Defense Program.
Recall that earlier, the "Uzbekcosmos" agency announced that it is planned to send Uzbekistan's first cosmonaut into space in 2028.
