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Recently the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) published their latest batch of named asteroids (WGSBN Bulletin 3, #2; Feb 7 2023).
Included in the list are three Jesuits who have worked at the Vatican Observatory and one Pope with importance to the history of the Observatory.
562971 Johannhagen is named for Fr Johann Hagen (1847-1930), who was director of the Vatican Observatory from 1906-1930.
551878 Stoeger is named for Fr Bill Stoeger (1943-2014), who was a cosmologist at the Vatican Observatory and a notable theologian in the area of theology and science.
565184 Janusz is named for Fr Robert Janusz (b. 1964), who formally joined the observatory just a few years ago, but has actively collaborated with the work of the institution (in particular, reducing VATT images) for several decades.
The asteroid named for a Pope is 560974 Ugoboncompagni. Ugo Boncompagni is the birth name of Pope Gregory XIII (1502-1585).
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