Asteroid Named for Two Penn State Students
Apache Point Observatory in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey's 2.5-meter telescope is on the left. White Sands National Monument is visible in the distance, above the telescope. The monitor telescope, used for calibrations, is inside the small dome to the right of center. Optical fibers for spectroscopy are pre-positioned each day in the building on the right (behind the trees). The building in the center rolls on rails to cover the 2.5-meter telescope when it is not in use. Credit: Sloan Digital Sky Survey
An asteroid that orbits the Sun every 4.83 years has been named for two students at Penn State's University Park Campus. The asteroid, first detected on 5 October 2002 in an observation by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, has been designated TimRaySchneider. To receive an official name, an asteroid must be observed for a number of orbits so its future positions can be predicted accurately.
The object was named for Timothy Schneider, a junior in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, and Raymond Schneider, a freshman in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Both are graduates of the Delta Program of the State College Area School District.
The asteroid is in the main asteroid belt, which is located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. TimRaySchneider is moving in a slightly elliptical orbit. Its average distance from the Sun is just a little less than three times the distance between the Earth and the Sun. The asteroid's closest approach to Earth is approximately 160 million miles. More details about the asteroid are in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Small-Body Database.
Timothy and Raymond are the sons of Jet and Donald Schneider of State College. Their father is a member of Penn State's Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and has been a long-time participant in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
CONTACTS:
Donald Schneider: dps7@psu.edu; 814-863-9554
Barbara Kennedy (Public Information Officer): science@psu.edu; 814-863-4682
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