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Published October 23, 2010, 09:32 AM

Asteroid named after N.D. aviation pioneer Odegard

John D. Odegard, a star in North Dakota aviation, is getting a stellar body named after him, according to the University of North Dakota. 156939 Odegard is an asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. Preliminary data suggests it’s a 1 to 2 miles in diameter and makes an orbit around the sun once every four years.

By: Forum Communications Co. Report , The Jamestown Sun

John D. Odegard, a star in North Dakota aviation, is getting a stellar body named after him, according to the University of North Dakota.

156939 Odegard is an asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. Preliminary data suggests it’s a 1 to 2 miles in diameter and makes an orbit around the sun once every four years.

The discoverer of the asteroid, Vishnu Reddy, is an astronomer in the university’s Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. He’s known for naming another asteroid 114703 North Dakota, in 2009, to thank the state for supporting his education. So far, he’s discovered 23 main belt asteroids and a super nova.

Reddy originally discovered asteroid Odegard in March 2003 with amateur astronomer Roy Tucker in Tucson, Ariz., about the same time he discovered asteroid North Dakota. Both required a period of observation to be sure they are true discoveries and their proposed names are accepted by the International Astronomical Union.

The official citation by the IAU says: “John D. Odegard (1941-1998), born in Minot, North Dakota, was an aviation visionary who started the flight-training program at the University of North Dakota in 1968.”

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