A small planet was named after Pope Gregory, who reformed the calendar

A small planet was named after XIII, known for his calendar reform. About Pope Gregory: the asteroid was named after the Holy Father by a working group of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the Vatican Observatory announced yesterday.

The IAU's Nomenclature of Small Celestial Bodies announced the names of 73 asteroids on Monday, including 560974 Ugoboncompagni, as Pope Gregory's birth name was Ugo Boncompagni.

Three of the newly named asteroids bear the names of three Jesuit colleagues of the Vatican Observatory, so currently more than 30 asteroids are named after Jesuits, the observatory's announcement on Tuesday reads.

The XIII who lived between 1502 and 1585. Together with an Italian astronomer and a Jesuit mathematician, Gregory modified the Julian calendar and introduced a new calculation of leap years, thus creating the Gregorian calendar known today.

The Vatican Observatory was founded in 1582 by XIII. Pope Gregory. Dozens of priests and monks study the universe at the observatory, now located in the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome. The scientific research institute is headed by the Jesuit monk Guy Gonsolmagno.

Source: Magyar Hírlap/MTI

Image: NurPhoto via AFP/Manuel Romano (Observatory at the summer papal residence in Castel Gandolfo)