Small planet named after astronomer Naufal Rizvanov
The International Astronomical Union approved the naming on 6th April 2019.
Dr. Rizvanov (1930 - 2012) is credited with establishing photographic astrometry at Kazan University. He was the first in the world to create a method of large photos of the Moon juxtaposed on a stellar background; he also complied a catalogue of coordinates of lunar craters. He proposed a number of original reduction methods for selenodesy and dynamic astronomy.
Rizvanov’s main works were made in photographic astrometry, position astrometry, selenodesy, ephemerid astronomy, and astronomical device construction.
He put forth proposals to build high-altitude observation stations in Nakhichevan (1960) and Zelenchuk (1971) and headed international projects to study Halley’s Comet and Mars’s satellites.
The planet, now officially named 2009 QC37 Rizvanov, was discovered on 29th August 2009 in Zelenchuk by Timur Kryachko.
Source text: Yury Nefedyev, Larisa Busil
Translation: Yury Nurmeev
