Rad New Planet: A BYU Scientist's Astronomical Honor
Honored for her research in planetary science, including a role on the science team for NASA's upcoming Dragonfly mission, BYU professor Jani Radebaugh has received an astronomical honor: a minor planet was named after her. The asteroid/minor planet, which was identified in 2000, is now named "45690janiradebaugh," on official NASA/JPL websites. Radebaugh's minor planet, which is classified as a planet because it orbits the sun, is located in the asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter.
Patrick Wiggins, a NASA Solar System Ambassador from Utah, nominated Radebaugh for the honor because of her contributions to planetary science. Only two other Utahns have had minor planets named for them previously.