Minor planets discovered: 8 [1]
1292 Luce 17 September 1933 MPC
1378 Leonce 21 February 1936 MPC
1458 Mineura 1 September 1937 MPC
1555 Dejan 15 September 1941 MPC
3280 Gretry 17 September 1933 MPC
4908 Ward 17 September 1933 MPC
7000 Curie 6 November 1939 MPC
19911 Rigaux 26 March 1933 MPC

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

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 edit

  1. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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.