Star Gayzing : Out Of This World - Part 5

Here is my next list of asteroids named after members of the lgbt community. These asteroids were all discovered between 1986 and 1989. Again, quotes from the official citations are given within quotation marks.

Isaac Newton (8000)             Discovered 5 Sept. 1986. Name published 11 Feb. 1998. “Named for Isaac Newton (1643-1727), hailed by some as the greatest universal genius of all time. Newton formulated the laws of motion, with the specific application to gravitation, and is known for his 1687 publication of the ‘Principia Mathematica’.”

Cyrano (3582)            Discovered 2 Oct. 1986. Name published 1 Sept. 1993. “Named for the whimsical French poet and soldier Cyrano de Bergerac (1619—1655), who in some of his comedies made brisk use of fanciful ways of spaceflight.”

Poseidon (4341)        Discovered 19 May 1987. Name published 2 Jan. 1991. “In Greek mythology, Poseidon, a brother of Zeus, was lord of the sea and of earthquakes ... He ruled all that lived in the sea and gathered clouds and raised storms. Poseidon was the constant enemy of Troy during the Trojan War.” Like his brother Zeus, Poseidon has male lovers, most notably Pelops.

Aristoteles (6123)      Discovered 19 Sept. 1987. Name published 15 Feb. 1995. “Named for Aristotle (384—322 BC), one of the most significant Greek philosophers ... He was the first, and possibly the greatest, theoretician of the mechanism of thought and deduction, being at the same time well aware of the importance of what happens in the real world and in nature…”

Pan (4450)                  Discovered 25 Sept. 1987. Name published 30 Jan. 1991. “Originally a shepherd god of Arcady, Pan developed into a hunter, fisherman and warrior ... He has been represented in art as a horned half-man, half goat.” Pan is also the name of a moon of Saturn, as is his male lover Daphnis.

Loke (4862)                Discovered 30 Sept. 1987. Name published 1 Sept. 1993. “Named after the strangest character in Norse mythology. Loke is one of the giants, but he lives among the Aesir in Asgaard. He is the symbol of falseness and intrigue—at the same time the enemy and the cunning helper of the gods...” Loke, also called Loki, appear in many myths as transgendered and once, in the form of a white mare, gave birth to a foal.

Warhol (6701)            Discovered 14 Jan. 1988. Name published 23 Nov. 1999. “The American painter and film-maker Andy Warhol (Andrew Warhola, 1928-1987) was a leader of the Pop Art movement. In the 1960s he attracted attention with exhibition of prints of startlingly ordinary images. Warhol worked also on experimental underground films”.

Rimbaud (4635)         Discovered 21 Jan. 1988. Name published 25 Aug 1991. “Named in memory of the French poet Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of his death. At the age of 17 he was already known for his ‘Dormeur du Val’ and ‘Le Bateau ivre’ … In 1872 he travelled with Paul Verlaine to England and Belgium ... After ‘Les Illuminations’, written at the age of 19 and issued by Verlaine only in 1886, nothing remains of the work of this great poet. As a precursor of symbolism Rimbaud enormously influenced Verlaine and the following generation...”

Mallory (6824)            Discovered 8 Sept. 1988. Name published 23 Nov 1999. “George Herbert Leigh Mallory (1886—1924) was a British mountain climber whose 1924 expedition to conquer Everest culminated in a bold and possibly successful drive with Irvine toward the summit. Just 75 years later Mallory’s body was recovered 600 meters below the summit after what had been a precipitous fall.”

Zeus (5731)    Discovered 4 Nov. 1988. Name Published 14 May 1995. “Originally Zeus was the god of the sky and of atmospheric phenomena, of winds, clouds, rain and thunder. Later Zeus, father of gods … became the supreme god of the Greeks, the protector of laws and morals and the dispenser of good and evil.”

Saint-Saens (5210)               Discovered 7 Mar. 1989. Name published 14 July 1992. “Named in memory of the French composer Charles Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921), whose extensive musical creations ranged from church music to neo-classicism. Among his best known works are the symphonic poem ‘La danse macabre’ … and his third organ symphony.”

Nietzsche (7014)       Discovered 3 Apr. 1989. Name published 22 Feb. 1997. “Named in memory of the great German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), renowned for his criticisms on religion, philosophy and morality… ‘The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music’ (1872), remains a classic in the history of aesthetics. His best-known work is ‘Thus spoke Zarathustra’ (1883-1885)…”

Minos (6239)              Discovered 31 Aug. 1989. Name published 12 July 1995. “… As king of Crete, he distinguished himself by the wisdom of his laws, which remained in force for nearly 1000 years, and by his sense of justice and moderation … These earned Minos, after his death, promotion to the dignity of judge of the Underworld.” Minos is said to have been the first man to practice pederasty – sex with boys.

ASTEROID ALLIES

Asteroids that are not named after lgbt people but have lgbt links.

Kaye (6546)    Discovered 24 Feb. 1987. Name published 20 June 1997. “Named in memory of Danny Kaye (1913-1987, born David Daniel Kominski), actor and comedian on stage and screen. Kaye’s trademark screen role was the mild mannered bumbler who triumphs in the end, as in ‘The Court Jester’ (1956)...” Lots of rumour and speculation surrounds Danny Kaye’s sexuality.

So far one group of people seem to be missing from the world of asteroids – lgbt asteroid hunters and discovers. I’m sure there are some out there and that they’ve discovered lots of asteroids, but none of them are “out” enough for me to mention with certainty. Who knows? Perhaps next time I can.