Tucson astronomer discovers comet

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TUCSON, Arizona (KOLD News 13) – A Tucson astronomer spotted a comet last week while staying at the Mount Lemmon Sky Center Observatory.

“It’s a very happy moment for me. I am a comet researcher myself. My Ph.D. it was about comets, “said Dr. Kacper Wierzchoś, who works with the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.

Wierzchoś is an asteroid and comet hunter and part of the University of Arizona asteroid survey team, which is the best in the world at finding asteroids that come close to Earth.

Wierzchoś says they find about 1,000 asteroids annually. Occasionally they discover a comet during their observations.

“Comets got me into astronomy in the first place. It is a great honor for me and a great honor for me to be part of this team, ”he said.

The team is part of a NASA-funded planetary defense project. They make their observations with telescopes in the Catalinas, which are about the size of a small house.

“When an astronomer discovers a comet, it is named after the person,” he said. “In this case it was named after me with my last name.”

He said the comet he discovered travels between Mars and Saturn and orbits the sun about every 13 years.

“I look forward to watching it again in the early 2030s,” he said.

Until this observation, he and his team will continue to search for near-Earth asteroids and possibly also find a surprise comet on the way.

Copyright 2021 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved.

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