8661 Ratzinger
Encyclopedia
8661 Ratzinger is a main-belt
asteroid
discovered on October 14, 1990 by Lutz D. Schmadel
and Freimut Börngen
at Tautenburg
. Named after Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.
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...
discovered on October 14, 1990 by Lutz D. Schmadel
Lutz D. Schmadel
Lutz D. Schmadel is a German astronomer who works at the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut of the University of Heidelberg.He is a prolific discoverer of asteroids. His special interest is the orbit/course of the asteroids...
and Freimut Börngen
Freimut Börngen
Freimut Börngen is a German astronomer. A few sources give his first name wrongly as Freimuth.He has studied galaxies with the Schmidt telescope at the Karl Schwarzschild Observatory in Tautenburg, Germany. In 1995 he retired, but continues to work as a freelancer for the observatory...
at Tautenburg
Tautenburg
Tautenburg, a municipality in the Saale-Holzland district in Thuringia in Germany, houses the Karl Schwarzschild Observatory....
. Named after Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.