An international astronomical monitoring agency, the Minor Planet Center (MPC), recently decided to name an asteroid after a Philippine goddess.
In its latest list published in September of approved names for known asteroids, the agency – which responsible for naming minor planets, comets, natural satellites, and other minor bodies in the solar system – christened asteroid 1982XB with the name “(3757) Anagolay,” after the ancient Filipino mythological goddess of lost things.
Asteroid 1982XB measures half a kilometer in diameter and takes approximately two and a half years to complete one revolution around the sun. It was first spotted by E. F. Helin at the Palomar Observatory on December 14, 1982.
This year, the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) – an international non-government organization that represents university students and young professionals in the United Nations, in the space industry, and in academia – held a contest for the submission of potential names for Asteroid 1982XB. The name Anagolay was submitted by Filipino student Mohammad Abqary Alon, and was chosen from over one thousand entries across 85 countries.
Filipino astronomer Rogel Mari Sese shared the SGAC’s official announcement on his Facebook timeline, as he expressed his pride and joy over the decision:
In local Philippine lore, Anagolay is said to be the daughter of the goddess Ikapati, the benevolent giver of food and prosperity; and Mapulon, the god of season.