6886 Grote (1942 CG) is a main-belt asteroid discovered on February 11, 1942 by L. Oterma at Turku. It is named for American radio astronomer Grote Reber (b. 1911, d. 2002), pioneer radioastronomer.

Mr. Reber received the B.S. degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, in 1933.  In 1962, he received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from The Ohio State University, Columbus. A radio engineer by profession, he became intrigued by Jansky's 1932 detection of radio waves of extraterrestrial origin. From a series of homemade radio receivers and a 9.4-m parabolic dish antenna in his backyard in Wheaton, Illinois, Reber obtained the first detailed quantitative maps of the radio sky and published these in a series of papers during the 1940s. His stunning results gradually opened the consciousness of others to this very powerful method of observing the universe. 

In 1977 Mr. Reber presented a paper at the general assembly of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in Toronto, titled 'The Endless, Boundless, Stable Universe' concerning his dissent from the Big Bang theory. In 1981 Mr. Reber made a (for years afterwards) anonymous donation of $30,000 to the RASC to help defray the costs of transportation for delegates to general assemblies.

Mr. Reber was elected an honorary member of the RASC on 1988-01-30.

His ashes are located at Bothwell Cemetery in Tasmania and at many major radio observatories around the world, including the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in British Columbia.

Asteroid name suggested and citation prepared by G. C. L. Aikman.

Orbit type: Main Belt Asteroid 

Reference: MPC 28622