Finally! After 6 years, 1 month and 14 days the Minor Planet Center has finally officially approved the name the winning bidder (see below) submitted. Henceforth the minor planet first given the temporary designation UOFU08 and then the provisional designation K07V08N/2007 VN8 and then the catalogue number 361690 will now be known as "Laurelanmaurer". patrick On 28 Apr 2013, at 01:56, Patrick Wiggins wrote:
Those who have been on this list a very long time might remember that back in 2007 I spotted a little dot on one of my images that moved from picture to picture that turned out to be an unknown minor planet.
I gave it the temporary name UOFU08 (for Univ. of Utah find #8). The Minor Planet Center checked and when they decided it was in fact a new find they called it K07V08N / 2007 VN8.
Going through my correspondence from back then I saw I'd posted to this list that it would probably be a couple of years before I'd be able to name it.
Turned out to be longer than that.
However, a couple of hours ago I received my second cosmological birthday present (the first being the GRB) in the form of an email from MPC giving my little rock a number: 361690
So, what am I bid for naming rights? :)
Just kidding as the rights were gone long ago.
Some here might also remember that following my (with wife Holly) first find back on 03 November 1999 and my solo find a couple of weeks later I was thinking this was going to be easy. So easy that I gave naming rights to my next find to KCPW to auction off during one of their telethons.
And from what I remember, they got a handsome sum.
Little did the winner (or I) know that next find would be 8 years later. And that the ability to name it would come 6 years after that.
So I just sent the winning bidder an email to the address I had for him in 2007. So far it has not bounced. I'm really interested to see how he'll respond.
Clear skies,
patrick