Christian Pollas (b. 1947) is a French

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

, known for the discovery and observation of

minor planet According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...

s and

supernovae A supernova (: supernovae or supernovas) is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. A supernova occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star, or when a white dwarf is triggered into runaway nuclear fusion. The original ob ...

. Pollas is credited by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Funct ...

with the discovery of 26

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

s, some co-discovered with Eric W. Elst, including the near-Earth asteroids: (belonging to the Aten group of asteroids),

4179 Toutatis 4179 Toutatis ( provisional designation ) is an elongated, stony asteroid and slow rotator, classified as a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo asteroid group, approximately 2.5 kilometers in diameter. Discovere ...

(belonging to the Apollo group of asteroids) and

9950 ESA 9950 ESA, provisional designation , is an eccentric asteroid and elongated near-Earth object of the Amor asteroid, Amor group, approximately 1.7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 8 November 1990, by French astronomer Christian Pollas ...

(belonging to the Amor group of asteroids). The main-belt asteroid 4892 Chrispollas is named in his honor.

List of discovered minor planets

References

1947 births Discoverers of asteroids * 20th-century French astronomers Living people {{france-astronomer-stub