by the El Reportero‘s news services
Ashley became the first Mexican girl to discover a star; We tell you the story of this little girl.
Ashley Martínez, an 11-year-old from Morelos, became the first Mexican girl in history to discover a star.
This was confirmed by the International Astronomical Union, a body that added that the discovery of the minor is specifically an asteroid.
A young promise in the search for celestial bodies
Ashley Martínez made this discovery as part of the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) program, sponsored by NASA, in which students, amateurs and members of astronomical clubs from around the world collaborate.
Like all participants, Ashley received hundreds of digital photos taken by the Pan-Starrs Double Panoramic Survey Telescope, which is located in Hawaii. Like the others, the minor analyzed each image on her computer with the help of software.
A complicated task to track celestial bodies
“It took a long time to find the asteroid, since I had to analyze several images carefully, not to miss anything; it was complicated by occasional software failures that confused me, but once I identified it I felt very proud”, said the girl from Morelos.
The point where the celestial body was found was in the main asteroid belt, which is identified as 2021 FD26. Because of her feat, the 11-year-old girl will have the opportunity to baptize him with her name, but she will have to wait a bit.
In less than 10 years her asteroid will be called “Ashley”
This is because asteroid detections are kept in the MPC database for as long as necessary until a sufficient number of locations have been obtained to fully confirm the orbit, a process that can take up to 10 years.
It will be until then that the asteroid in question will be able to bear the name of “Ashley”. She for as long as she was recognized with a diploma from IASC and NASA.
