Ángel López Jiménez facts for kids
Ángel López Jiménez (born in 1955) is a Spanish astronomer. An astronomer is a scientist who studies everything outside of Earth's atmosphere, like stars, planets, and galaxies. Ángel López Jiménez is famous for finding many asteroids, which are like small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. He often worked with another astronomer named Rafael Pacheco to make these discoveries. Sometimes, when you see "A. Lopez" mentioned by the Minor Planet Center (an official group that tracks small celestial bodies), it might be referring to a different astronomer, Álvaro López-García.
Discovering Minor Planets
Ángel López Jiménez has discovered 58 minor planets. Minor planets are celestial objects that orbit the Sun but are not considered full-sized planets or comets. Most of these are asteroids found in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
What are Minor Planets?
Minor planets are smaller than the eight main planets in our solar system. They can be made of rock, metal, or ice. The most well-known type of minor planet is an asteroid. When astronomers discover a new minor planet, it gets a temporary name. Later, it can be given a permanent number and sometimes even a special name.
Some of His Discoveries
Ángel López Jiménez discovered many minor planets, often working with Rafael Pacheco. Here are a few examples of the minor planets he helped find:
- 9453 Mallorca
- 11350 Teresa
- 13424 Margalida
- 14097 Capdepera
- 14967 Madrid
- 16852 Nuredduna
- 25001 Pacheco (named after his fellow astronomer, Rafael Pacheco)
- 27952 Atapuerca
- 35725 Tramuntana
These discoveries help us learn more about our solar system and the many objects orbiting our Sun.
See also
In Spanish: Ángel López Jiménez para niños
- List of minor planet discoverers § A. Lopez-J.
