Named in honor of Owen Jay Gingerich, Harvard professor of astronomy and of the history of science, and an astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.  Although he has made important contributions to the modeling of stellar atmospheres, he is best known for effectively setting the standards of scholarship for modern studies of the history of astronomy and astrophysics.  His historical interests are broad, but much of his work centers on Copernicus and Kepler, as is appropriately acknowledged by this planet’s provisional designation.  He is also celebrated for his basic course on science to non-scientist Harvard students, and he served as director of the IAU Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams for the three years following the transfer from Copenhagen at the end of 1964. Prof. Gingerich was named an Honorary Member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada on 1992-02-15.

Orbit type: Main Belt Asteroid

Reference: MPC 9477