The International Astronomical Union has just attributed the discovery of two asteroids to amateur astronomers from a small village in Lauragais, south of Haute-Garonne. One of these asteroids will henceforth bear the name of Bélesta, the other that of their association.
Since 1996, Patrick Martinez has been one of the five founding members of the Adagio association (Editor’s note: Association for the amateur development of a large observation instrument) managing the Belesta observatory in Lauragais, this small village of around a hundred inhabitants, between Revel and Villefranche-de-Lauragais. He is also one of the discoverers of two asteroids, located from 2007. He looks back on this extraordinary event.
“The search for asteroids is a painstaking job, because these celestial bodies are difficult to distinguish from stars. The only difference that we can really observe at our level is that they move,” he explains. With regular observations of the night sky, astronomers can hope to find the nugget, but it’s a long process. “The International Astronomical Union first requires two nights of observation, in order to compare the position of the celestial bodies identified. If this agrees, these celestial bodies are assigned a provisional number, but it is only following several years of observation that we can really determine whether the celestial body is indeed a new discovery. The International Astronomical Union then registers it with a definitive number and its discoverer is authorized to give a baptismal name to the asteroid. he adds.
The Bélesta observatory in Lauragais.
Thus, at the end of 2021, two of the first asteroids discovered at Bélesta in 2008 were definitively recorded and attributed to this observatory. The members of the association then decided to baptize the first “Bélesta” in honor of the village of Lauragais which hosts the observatory and the second “Adagio” in honor of the association. The thirty members of the association take care of the observatory, which houses an 82 cm telescope, one of the most powerful amateur telescopes in France.
If installed at the Pic du Midi, this telescope would be the site’s third in diameter. Research work is carried out in cooperation with professional astronomers, and since 2018 an agreement links the Bélesta observatory with the Astronomical Society of France. To celebrate the event, the baptism of the asteroid will take place on June 6 at 9 p.m. in the village, accompanied by a reception and a visit to the observatory.
