Fernand Rigaux

Fernand Rigaux (1905 – 21 December 1962) was a Belgian astronomer and observer of variable stars, minor planets and comets at the Royal Observatory at Uccle, Belgium.[2][3]

Minor planets discovered: 8 [1]
1292 Luce17 September 1933MPC
1378 Leonce21 February 1936MPC
1458 Mineura1 September 1937MPC
1555 Dejan15 September 1941MPC
3280 Gretry17 September 1933MPC
4908 Ward17 September 1933MPC
7000 Curie6 November 1939MPC
19911 Rigaux26 March 1933MPC

In 1951, he co-discovered the periodic comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux with his colleague Sylvain Arend.[4] He is also credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of 8 asteroids between 1933 and 1941.[1][5]

The asteroid 19911 Rigaux, discovered by himself at Uccle in 1933, was named in his memory.[3] Naming citation was published on 25 December 2015 (M.P.C. 97568).[6]

References
  1. "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  2. "Obituaries". Proceedings of the Twelfth General Assembly, Hamburg, 1964. International Astronomical Union by Academic Press: 235. 1966. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  3. "19911 Rigaux (1933 FK)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  4. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 49P/Arend-Rigaux". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  5. "Belgian Finds Astral Body". The New York Times. 9 January 1956. Retrieved 23 January 2011. An astronomer at the Brussels Observatory Fernand Rigaux discovered a fastmoving body in space between Mars and Jupiter the night of 5–6 Jan he announced ...
  6. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2 July 2016.


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