Vilnius University astronomers name asteroids Nida and Šventoji

Astronomers from Vilnius University have named two asteroids after Lithuanian geographical locations: Nida and the Šventoji River. The discovery was made by Dr. Kazimieras Černis, Edvardas Černis, and Latvian colleague Dr. Ilgmārs Eglītis.

The asteroid ‘Nida’ was first discovered on May 5, 2010, at the Baldonė Astronomical Observatory in Latvia. Its orbit was later confirmed by NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space observatory. The asteroid ‘Šventoji’ was first photographed on August 31, 2008, at the Vilnius University Molėtai Astronomical Observatory and was subsequently confirmed by the Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona, USA.

Dr. Černis has named more than 150 asteroids since 2004, approximately 100 of which bear Lithuanian names or are related to Lithuanian history, including ‘Kaunas’, ‘Klaipėda’, and ‘Molėtai’.