Asteroid named after Pope

Pope Gregory XIII, the 16th century pontiff responsible for what is today known as the Gregorian calendar, now has another celestial claim to fame. A working group of the International Astronomical Union has named an asteroid after him.

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WelCom April 2023

Pope Gregory XIII, the 16th century pontiff responsible for what is today known as the Gregorian calendar, now has another celestial claim to fame. A working group of the International Astronomical Union has named an asteroid after him. The ‘560974 Ugoboncompagni’ – Gregory’s birth name was Ugo Boncompagni – was announced, along with 72 other named asteroids in the latest update of the union’s Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature.