A rock in space with your name on it: unusual honour sends meteorite experts into orbit

Meteorite crater - could Imperial engineers make this kind of impact?

Asteroids in orbit between Mars and Jupiter gain a new identity after being named after three Imperial meteorite experts - <em>News Release</em>

Asteroids in orbit between Mars and Jupiter have gained a new identity this month after being named after three Imperial College London meteorite experts. Drs Phil Bland , Matthew Genge  and Mark Sephton  are among around fifty scientists honoured by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) at the recent annual meeting of the Meteoritical Society.

The IAU bestows asteroid names on planetary scientists once every three years, in recognition of their contributions to the discipline.

The asteroids are all main belt asteroids, left over from the formation of the Solar System. The designation of these bodies is now: 6580 Philbland, 6626 Mattgenge, and 7552 Sephton.

Dr Phil Bland, honoured for his work on the origins of the Solar System and on impacts, said: "It's funny to think there's a 4 km wide rock out there with my name on it. Having studied impacts, I somehow can't help but hope that it might collide with something - preferably Mars or the Moon rather than the Earth. It would make a big bang."

There are now two members of the Bland family in space as an asteroid has also been named after Dr Bland's wife, Gretchen Benedix, recognised with 6579 Benedix for her work on igneous meteorites.

Dr Benedix, who works at the Natural History Museum and is part of the Impact and Astromaterials Research Centre run jointly with Imperial College, said: "It's great we got consecutive numbers, and even better that mine was discovered first."

In contrast to Dr Bland, Dr Genge, honoured for his work on micrometeorites, is worried about collisions. "6626 Mattgenge is already coming quite close to Mars. The orbits of asteroids change and in the future it will probably become an Amor, a Mars-crosser. Around 50% of these collide with the red-planet. My 7 km of prime asteroid real estate could turn into a hole in the Martian surface. Even worse it might survive to become an Earth- crosser, in a few million years, and prompt an impact scare. Imagine the headline 'Mattgenge fails to make an impact' as an epitaph."

Dr Mark Sephton, whose work on the organic molecules within meteorites was honoured, said: "My kids are going to love this. With the name 'Sephton' that makes 7552 a family asteroid, although it's a bit far away to make a decent holiday home."

All the Imperial researchers are from the department of Earth Sciences and Engineering and you can follow the orbits of your favourite researcher using the virtual orbit visualisation tool of NASA's Near Earth Object Programme .

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For further information please contact:

Laura Gallagher
Press Officer
Communications Division
Imperial College London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 6702
Mobile: +44 (0)7803 886248
E-mail: l.gallagher@imperial.ac.uk

Notes to editors:

1. You can find out more about each of the researchers by visiting their personal web pages:

Dr Phil Bland:www.imperial.ac.uk/people/p.a.bland 
Dr Matt Genge: www.imperial.ac.uk/people/m.genge 
Dr Mark Sephton: www.imperial.ac.uk/people/m.a.sephton 

2. Consistently rated in the top three UK university institutions, Imperial College London is a world leading science-based university whose reputation for excellence in teaching and research attracts students (11,000) and staff (6,000) of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and management and delivers practical solutions that enhance the quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.
Website: www.imperial.ac.uk