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\n\t\t\tPosted by\t\t\tJohn Scalzi<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a0\u00a0
\n\t\t\t\t \u00a0\n\t<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/my-asteroid-2.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/WHSJohnS2.jpg\")
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It comes courtesy of the Cline Observatory at Guilford College (I have used Photoshop here to lower the noise in the image and to raise the relative brightness of the asteroid). The folks there took it as a challenge to find the minor planet with my name on it (figurately, not literally), and having located what looks to be it, compared the image to an earlier image of the same patch of sky to make sure that what they thought as the asteroid was indeed wandering through. Johnscalzi is currently at magnitude 17 (extremely dim), so the fact they managed to image it at all is kind of remarkable. <\/p>\n
If you\u2019re looking for it yourself, it\u2019s currently in the vicinity of the constellation of Leo, near the lion\u2019s butt. The precise location, for this or any other day, can be had by going here<\/a>, then clicking on the \u201cEphemeris\u201d link near the top, and having done that, clicking the \u201cgenerate ephemeris\u201d button at the page you\u2019re taken to. It\u2019ll then generate all the information you need to find it. That said, again, it\u2019s at about magnitude 17 right now, so you\u2019ll need a big telescope, or the ability to do time-lapse image stacking, or, probably both. <\/p>\n I have neither at the moment, so I\u2019m thrilled that the folks at the Cline Observatory took a little bit of time out their evening to give it view. As I\u2019ve mentioned before<\/a>, I\u2019m hugely thrilled to have a minor planet named for me. Being able to see it, even just a little, is also hugely thrilling. <\/p>\n \u2014 JS<\/p>\n Like this:<\/p>\n Like Loading…<\/p>\n