Eugène Joseph Delporte facts for kids

Eugène Joseph Delporte was a famous Belgian astronomer. He was born on January 10, 1882, in Genappe, Belgium. He spent his life studying space and made many important discoveries. Delporte passed away on October 19, 1955, in Uccle. He is especially known for finding many asteroids.

Discoveries in Space

Eugène Delporte was very good at finding new objects in space. He discovered 66 asteroids! Asteroids are like small, rocky worlds that orbit the Sun.

Famous Asteroids He Found

Among his many discoveries, two asteroids are especially well-known. One is called 1221 Amor. This asteroid was so important that a whole group of asteroids, called the Amor asteroids, was named after it. These asteroids sometimes get quite close to Earth.

Another famous asteroid he found is 2101 Adonis. This one is an Apollo asteroid. Apollo asteroids are known for crossing Earth's orbit, meaning their paths can sometimes come very close to ours.

Comets and Observatories

Besides asteroids, Delporte also discovered some comets. Comets are icy space objects that release gas and dust, forming a "tail" as they get close to the Sun. One of his comet discoveries was named 57P/du Toit-Neujmin-Delporte.

Delporte worked at the Observatoire Royal de Belgique, which is the Royal Observatory of Belgium. This observatory is located in the town of Uccle, Belgium. In fact, one of the asteroids he discovered, 1276 Ucclia, was named after this town!

A Moon Crater Named After Him

To honor his important work, a crater on the Moon was named after him. This crater is called Delporte. It's a way to remember his contributions to astronomy.

See also

In Spanish: Eugène Joseph Delporte para niños