Close
MyNorthwest
News
Opinion
Sports
Tools
Connect

Asteroid named after pope behind Gregorian calendar reform

FILE - The fool moon is seen above the St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, on Feb. 26, 2013. Pope Gregory XIII, the 16th century pontiff responsible for what is today known as the Gregorian calendar, now has another, celestial claim to fame. A working group of the International Astronomical Union has named an asteroid after him, the Vatican Observatory said Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. The "560974 Ugoboncompagni" (Gregory's birthname was Ugo Boncompagni) was announced in the Feb. 27 update of the union's Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky, File) FILE - The sun sets behind the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, in Rome, on Feb. 20, 2023. Pope Gregory XIII, the 16th century pontiff responsible for what is today known as the Gregorian calendar, now has another, celestial claim to fame. A working group of the International Astronomical Union has named an asteroid after him, the Vatican Observatory said Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. The "560974 Ugoboncompagni" (Gregory's birthname was Ugo Boncompagni) was announced in the Feb. 27 update of the union's Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)
Asteroid named after pope behind Gregorian calendar reform