Croatian physicist honored with asteroid named after him

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has officially named an asteroid in the Solar System “Dankobosanac” in honor of the late Professor Slobodan Danko Bosanac, a distinguished Croatian physicist and the founder and first president of the Adriatic Aerospace Association.

“This is wonderful and historic news for Croatian science, particularly for astronautics,” Ante Radonić of the Adriatic Aerospace Association said.

He emphasized that this rare and prestigious permanent distinction was granted in honor of the late Professor Slobodan Danko Bosanac, a prominent Croatian physicist and the founder and first president of the Adriatic Aerospace Association (A3), CE Report quotes HINA.

The asteroid, located in the Main Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter, was originally discovered on December 18, 2001, as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) project at the Apache Point Observatory in the United States. The discovery was made by a scientific team in which Croatian astrophysicist and A3 Vice President Professor Željko Ivezić played a key role.

Under the strict rules of the International Astronomical Union, names for celestial bodies may only be assigned following a proposal by scientists involved in their discovery. Professor Ivezić, on behalf of and at the request of members of the Association, officially proposed that the celestial body be named after Professor Bosanac, according to the statement.

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