| Comets are named after the observers who spot them first
and report to a central agency established by the International Astronomical Union. This
agency has the observations confirmed by other observers before assigning the name. If two
observers spot them on the same night, it is named after both of them. Most comets are
observed by amateur astronomers. Some amateurs have discovered several comets. Shoemaker -
Levy 9 was the ninth comet co-discovered by the team of Eugene Shoemaker and David Levy.
Only one Indian has a comet named after him. Vainu Bappu discovered a comet in a routine
photograph he was examining as a student. This comet was named Bappu - Newkirk - Whipple. |
Vainu Bappu
|
