Minor planets named after Gabriela Silang, Urduja
THE International Astronomical Union (IAU), the leading NGO focused on astronomy, named two recently-discovered asteroids, also called minor planets, after two heroines – Ilocano warrior Gabriela Silang, and Pangasinan mythical female Princess Urduja.
The decision was made public by Dr. Edsel Salvana, through his Facebook post on Saturday, December 18, through a letter sent to him by his friend, Dr. Carrie Nugent, an assistant professor of Computational Physics and Planetary Science at Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts, USA.
The IAU rename Asteroid 5749 as Urduja, while asteroid 7026 was named Gabriela Silang.
These will be the official names of the two asteroids used for reference in upcoming scientific studies.
Listed below is Nugent’s description on both asteroids:
“(5749) Urduja orbits the sun on a roughly circular path in the main belt of asteroids, between Mars and Jupiter. The first known image of this object was taken in 1973, though it wasn’t until the 1980s that a significant number of observations were made and its path around the sun determined. It is between twelve and thirteen kilometers in diameter.”
“(7026) Gabrielasilang also orbits the sun in the main belt of asteroids, between Mars and Jupiter. Its orbit is less circular than (5749) Urduja’s orbit. The first recorded image of this object was taken in 1976, at the La Silla Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert. It is about three kilometers in diameter.”
Salvana, an infectious disease expert and a TED fellow, was instrumental in the nomenclature of asteroids.
Being TED fellow, Nugent asked Salvana, known for his wide reach of network among extraordinary and multidisciplinary individuals around the world, for suggestions for names of strong females.
Urduja, despite still being debated as whether a historical or legendary figure, has been the epitome of female strength. A princess of Kaylukari in the land of Tawalisi, usually identified as the province of Pangasinan. (Ahikam Pasion)
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