Curiosity from space: in our solar system an asteroid called "Sardinia"
Discovered in 1999 by the Swiss professor and amateur astronomer Stefano Sposetti: «A tribute to the Island»
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Its diameter is about 5 kilometers and it has been part of our solar system for 4 million years. It was discovered and observed in 1999 by the Swiss amateur astronomer and physics teacher Stefano Sposetti who, always linked to Sardinia , decided to christen the asteroid with the name of the land of the nuraghi. Thus that bright dot among the space dust became an unusual ambassador of the Island among the stars . «It has always been there, and like Sardinia it has an ancient history behind it, which is lost over time. The choice of the name was not difficult", explains the professor.
But what are asteroids? «These are minor bodies, rock objects – continues Sposetti -. Near the sun there are "few" of them, then the numbers increase between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter. The largest have a diameter of up to 100 kilometers, others are smaller", a bit like "ours". The process of giving them a name, after the enthusiasm of the discovery, passes through obligatory stages that take time. «First of all we need to wait a year to see them again in the sky and make the necessary position measurements», adds the amateur astronomer, who from the 1990s to today has identified around 167 of them. Then the baton passes to the Minor Planet Center , the organization appointed by International Astronomical Union management of the database on observational data of minor bodies of the Solar System. As a matter of practice, " the discoverer has the possibility of giving a name to the asteroid ." At the time I chose Sardinia because I have been spending my holidays on the island for 30 years now , a wonderful place to which I am very attached ."
And even if these celestial bodies - usually - can only be observed with a telescope, «the largest are also appreciable with the naked eye. They are bright dots, very small, and their movement in the sky is regular." Nothing to do with the more common "Starlinks", which appear above our heads every night, populating the celestial vault with their linear motion. Furthermore, the island - as the professor points out - is a perfect place for those who love space : just raise your eyes and observe the night sky to be fascinated by a timeless spectacle. «It is surprising to realize how many stars – without the light pollution of population centers and larger cities – are visible in the sky. It's an extraordinary sight."
