ASTEROID NAMED AFTER FILIPINO NEUROSURGEON, AMATEUR ASTRONOMER
A Paris-based astronomical organization has named an eight-kilometer-wide asteroid located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter after a Filipino neurosurgeon, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) named minor planet 1993 FN41 as “7431 Jettaguilar,” in honor of avid amateur astronomer Dr. Jose Francisco “Jett” Aguilar, who has been providing neurological services to Filipino children for two decades.
Jettaguilar revolves around the Sun at an average distance of about 463 million km and completes one orbit in 5.4 years.
It was discovered in March 19, 1993, from the European Southern Observatory in Chile and was given the preliminary designation of 1993 FN41.
Currently, the minor planet is about 643 km from Earth with a magnitude 19.5 in the constellation Sagittarius.
For centuries, asteroids have been named after mythological figures, geographical places, renowned scientists, explorers and other prominent personalities.
Filipino astronomers Imelda Joson and husband Edwin Aguirre, the first Filipinos to have an asteroid named after them, proposed naming the asteroid after Aguilar in celebration of his contribution to the medical field and Philippine astronomy.
‘Saved 1,000 children’
“Jose A. ‘Jett’ Aguilar (b. 1961) is a Filipino neurosurgeon who has saved over 1,000 children in the Philippines by volunteering his time and surgical expertise to treat their congenital malformations and brain tumors,” the IAU’s Working Groups for Small Body Nomenclature bulletin read.
“He is also an amateur astronomer and serves as vice president of the Astronomical League of the Philippines,” it added.
Aguilar works as a neurosurgeon at Philippine Children’s Medical Center, Philippine General Hospital and Cardinal Santos Medical Center.
In 2019, he successfully removed a parasitic twin from a three-week-old infant with the nickname “Baby Ned.”
He also serves as the clinical director of the Philippine Movement Disorder Surgery Center, which developed the “Deep Brain Stimulation” surgery for Filipino patients with a rare genetic disorder known as “X-Linked Dystonia Parkinsonism.”