Vatican Observatory asteroid Pope XIII. Reported by the Associated Press.
The celestial body is now called 560974 Ugoboncompagni because in Gregory’s world his name was Hugo Boncompagni. At the same time, three more names were given to the asteroids in honor of the Jesuits associated with the Vatican Observatory. As a result, the number of asteroids named after representatives of this order exceeded 30.
Gregory, who lived between 1502 and 1585, along with several other astronomers and mathematicians corrected the Julian calendar and introduced a new method for calculating leap years, revealing the Gregorian calendar. For example, the Russian Orthodox Church continues to live according to the old calendar.
The Vatican Observatory has its origins in Gregory’s will and the reform of the Gregorian calendar in 1582. It is located in the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo in the hills south of Rome, and a dozen priests and brothers are currently studying the universe. They are led by his Jesuit brother, Guy Consolmagno.
The right to name an asteroid in honor of a person arises with the discoverer after the asteroid is observed a second time. You can read why this can’t be done right away here: material “socialbites.ca”.