Asteroid named Dankobosanac honors Croatian physicist

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has officially named an asteroid in the Solar System ‘Dankobosanac’ to honor the late Croatian physicist Slobodan Danko Bosanac. Bosanac was a prominent figure in Croatian science and the founder and first president of the Adriatic Aerospace Association (A3).

The asteroid is located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was originally discovered on December 18, 2001, as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) at the Apache Point Observatory in the United States. The discovery involved a scientific team that included Croatian astrophysicist and A3 vice president Željko Ivezić, who formally proposed the name on behalf of the association.

Bosanac was recognized for his contributions to the popularization of astronomy and astronautics in Croatia and his efforts in fostering international scientific cooperation.