2999 Dante
Encyclopedia
2999 Dante is a small main belt
asteroid
, which was discovered by Norman G. Thomas
in 1981. It is named after Dante Alighieri
, the medieval Florentine
poet
.
Asteroid belt
The asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets...
asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
, which was discovered by Norman G. Thomas
Norman G. Thomas
Norman G. Thomas is an American astronomer.He worked at Lowell Observatory using the blink comparator alongside Robert Burnham, Jr., author of the famous three-volume Celestial Handbook....
in 1981. It is named after Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
, the medieval Florentine
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.