[天文科學]「鄒族」月中閃耀星空

「鄒族」月中閃耀星空

中央大學鹿林天文台將於本月（2009年一月）月中將最新發現的一顆小行星命名為「鄒族」，這是第一個以台灣原住民族群名稱命名的小行星。

中央大學的鹿林天文台自民國九十五年三月開始執行兩岸合作的「鹿林巡天計畫」，利用有限的經費與人力，憑著小型望遠鏡與台灣特有的經緯觀測條件優勢，短短兩年內已發現八百多顆小行星，成果相當豐碩。

「鄒族」與鹿林天文台的所在地嘉義阿里山鄉關係密切，台內七名成員中，有四人是鄒族人。一方面因著這層緣份，一方面為鼓勵原住民投入天文科學行列，特別將最新發現的一顆小行星命名為「鄒族」。

此外，繼「嘉義」後，此次發現的另外一個小行星也再度以台灣地名「南投」命名，將在一月中旬的世界天文年慶祝活動中一併公布。


Tsou Begins to Shine in the Air from the Midst of This Month

Lulin Observatory, Institute of Astronomy, NCU, will officially entitle its last-observed asteroid "Tsou" this month (January, 2009). This will be the first asteroid entitled in the name of the aboriginal tribes in Taiwan.

Lulin Observatory started the cross-strait cooperated "Lulin Sky Survey (LUSS)" project in March, 2006, whose origin could be traced back to 2002 when the first new asteroid observed in Taiwan by two graduate students of NCU. With limited financial support and personnel resource, nonetheless as well as with the advantage of the particular longitude and latitude position Taiwan possesses, over eight hundred new asteroids have been observed in the project within the last two years.

The tribe Tsou is closely associated with the location of Lulin Obsrvatory (Alishan Township, Chiayi County). Four of the seven members of the observatory are Tsou people as well. Also there's an attempt to encourage the aborigine to take part in the astronomical research. Therefore, the new discovered asteroid is intentionally entitled "Tsou."

Besides, after "Chiayi," another newly observed asteroid will be named in the county name of Taiwan "Nantou." The entitlement will be announced in the midst of January, too.


深入資訊：
鹿林天文台 http://www.lulin.ncu.edu.tw/
國立中央大學天文研究所 http://www.astro.ncu.edu.tw/p=home.phtml
臺北市立天文科學教育館過刊資料 http://tamweb.tam.gov.tw/news/2006/200608/06082202.htm



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