Slovenian space scientist receives asteroid named after him

A Slovenian scientist based in Northern Ireland has had an asteroid named after him. The asteroid, called (20560) Nežič, was discovered in New Mexico in 1999, the year Dr Rok Nežič was growing up in Slovenia. He arrived at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium in 2015 to complete his doctorate. His research focused on comets and how polarized light can be used to study them. He now works there as a tours and outreach officer. Two people put his name forward for the honor: his PhD supervisor and a former astronomer from the same institution. Having a celestial body named after you is considered a major recognition in science. A second colleague from Armagh has also recently been chosen to have a celestial body named after them.