Amateur Turkish astronomers’ discovery registered as asteroid

DÜZCE

The International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) has classified a celestial body discovered by two Turkish amateur explorers in the northwestern province of Düzce as an asteroid, marking the first such instance for the country.

Science teacher Ayşe Arslan, who has been conducting space observation and research at the Science and Art Center (BİLSEM) in the province for five years, and Ömer Selim Esen, a high school student, discovered this newly registered asteroid approximately three years ago.

Their discovery was made during the "Asteroid Search Campaign," an initiative organized with the assistance of IASC to identify new asteroids.

Reflecting on the start of their exploration journey, Arslan noted that they began their efforts after their application to the campaign was approved and they received data sets to conduct observations.

She noted that after using specialized software to analyze this data, they forwarded the reports they prepared to the appropriate channels.

After about three years, the two amateur astronomers received an e-mail informing them that this celestial object was classified as the first asteroid discovered by Türkiye.

“The fact that Turkish researchers have discovered an asteroid in the solar system for the first time holds a great significance for both us and the whole country,” Arslan emphasized.

Esen, a 14-year-old astronomy enthusiast, noted that he has been carrying out space research for the last seven years.

“It has been a long time since we discovered this celestial object, however, I still clearly recall that moment. It is highly valuable to me.”

As a result of this remarkable discovery, Arslan and Esen were granted the privilege of naming the asteroid.