Milorad B. Protić ( sr-cyr, italic=yes, Милорад Б. Протић; 19 September 1911,
Belgrade – 29 October 2001, Belgrade) was a
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hung ...
n
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either o ...
, discoverer of
comet
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or Coma (cometary), coma, and sometimes also a Comet ta ...
s and
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 '' ...
s, and three times director of the
Belgrade Observatory
Belgrade Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in the eastern part of Belgrade, Serbia, in the natural environment of Zvezdara Forest.
History Origin (1887–1891)
In 1879, Milan Nedeljković (1857–1950) received a scholarshi ...
.
He 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.
Function
...
with the discovery of 7 numbered
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the Solar System#Inner solar system, inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic o ...
s during 1936–1952,
including
1675 Simonida, named after queen
Simonida
Simonida Nemanjić ( sr-cyr, Симонида Немањић; c. 1294 – after 1336), born Simonis Palaiologina ( el, Σιμωνίς Παλαιολογίνα, sr. Симонида Палеолог, ''Simonida Paleolog''), was a Byzantine princes ...
, wife of medieval Serbian king
Stefan Milutin
Stefan Uroš II Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Урош II Милутин, Stefan Uroš II Milutin; 1253 – 29 October 1321), known as Stefan Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Милутин, Stefan Milutin), was the King of Serbia between 1282&nd ...
, and
2348 Michkovitch, a rare
Erigone asteroid named after Vojislav Mišković (1892–1976), who was a member of the
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( la, Academia Scientiarum et Artium Serbica, sr-Cyr, Српска академија наука и уметности, САНУ, Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, SANU) is a national academy and the ...
and head of the Belgrade Observatory.
Protić also independently discovered comet
C/1947 Y1.
He died on 29 October 2001 in Belgrade. The main-belt asteroid
22278 Protitch, discovered by
Henri Debehogne at ESO's Chilean
La Silla site in 1983, was named in his memory.
Naming citation was published on 30 December 2001 ().
Also, the outer main-belt asteroid
1724 Vladimir is named after Protić's grandson, while
5397 Vojislava is named after Vojislava Protić-Benišek, his daughter, who has been a member of the observatory's staff since 1972, where she continues her father's work on celestial mechanics and minor planets, together with her son.
See also
*
:Erigone asteroids
References
External links
OBITUARY MILORAD B. PROTI´CKosmička Srbija između Marsa i Jupiteraat naslovi.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Proticzz, Milorad B
1911 births
2001 deaths
Discoverers of asteroids
*
Missing middle or first names
Scientists from Belgrade
Serbian astronomers