It may not be a slime creature from outer space, but you can finally find "Weird Al" Yankovic's name flying beyond our planet.
The American musician and comedian's name was recently approved for an asteroid, or space rock, that zooms around our solar system about once every four years.
The asteroid is formally known as (14331) Alyankovic, or 1981 EC26. 1981 refers to the year of the asteroid's discovery, and Yankovic's name for it was approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the official body that arbitrates the monikers of things in the universe.
Planetary scientist Allison McGraw, an alumna of the University of Arizona who is now with the Lunar and Planetary Science Institute, backed the nomination with several other planetary science researchers, according to the Tucson Star. On Sunday (Sept. 20), McGraw presented Yankovic backstage with a plaque commemorating the naming of the asteroid, ahead of Yankovic's performance at the Tucson Arena.
"I've been working on not being starstruck, the same way I am every time I meet astronauts," McGraw said in the Tucson Star's report, ahead of the meeting. "I'm gonna do my best not to be starstruck, or I guess 'rock struck', but I have the feeling that he's going to be really cool."
Alyankovic (the asteroid) was discovered in 1981 and resides in the main belt of asteroids found between Mars and Jupiter. It is visible from Earth, but only in a good telescope as its absolute magnitude is 16; for comparison, the faintest stars visible to the naked eye are roughly magnitude 5 or 6, under dark-sky conditions.
Alyankovic joins several other musical-themed celebrity monikers on asteroids, such as 17059 Elvis, 17473 Freddiemercury, 249516 Aretha (after Aretha Franklin), 10731 Dollyparton, and all members of the Beatles (both individually, and as a group for 8749 Beatles.)
Meanwhile, Al Yankovic (the singer) has been belting out funny space-related tunes for decades, including the rap-like "Sir Isaac Newton vs. Bill Nye", an Obi-Wan Kenobi-centered retelling of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace called "The Saga Begins," and the self-explanatory and classic "Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters from a Planet Near Mars."
While living persons can have their names attached to asteroids and other "small bodies" like comets, the process can take years, and any name must meet a multi-page set of requirements as well as the muster of the IAU's working group that names small bodies.
"Names have traditionally been assigned to many small bodies and have drawn from mythological characters, planetary scientists, astronomers, and accomplished scientists, engineers, and technicians in other fields. People who have made contributions to the arts, sports, medicine, and other aspects of society are also recognized. Discoverers have also used names of personal significance to them," the IAU states.
Some of the other institutions or things named in the Sept. 9 IAU notice include:
- (15708) Metsoc = 1988 RB12. It is named for the Meteoritical Society, which has an annual conference and hosts the Meteoritics and Planetary Science journal, in large part to showcase countries that are not as widely represented.
- (20176) Aliciagoyena = 1996 XK29. This is named after Alicia Goyena, an educator and history teacher in Uruguay who was director of the women's section of the Instituto Batlle y Ordóñez in Montevideo.
- (31550) Beckmaier = 1999 DT7. Beck Maier is a telescope operator at the Lowell Observatory's Lowell Discovery Telescope in Arizona.
- (50271) Albertoanunziato = 2000 CW. Alberto Anunziato is an Argentinian amateur astronomer whose work includes founding the Argentine Lunar Society, being secretary of the Ibero-American Astronomy League, and teaching at the Autonomous University of Entre Ríos.
- (74025) Marquette = 1998 HA6. Jean-Baptiste Marquette is a retired French astrophysicist known for mapping the chemistry of interstellar clouds.
