Named in memory of James Edwin Keeler (1857-1900), pioneer American astrophysicist and second director of the Lick Observatory.  He measured accurately the wavelengths of the chief nebular lines, confirmed spectroscopically the particle nature of Saturn’s rings and recognized the spiral "nebulae" as numerous, important constituents of the universe.  In 1899 he also discovered photographically with the Crossley reflector the faint minor planet (452) Hamiltonia.  Citation prepared by D. E. Osterbrock.

Named in honor of Hendrik Christoffel van de Hulst, husband of Wil van de Hulst (see 2412) and astrophysicist at the Leiden Observatory.  A leader in the development of radioastronomy in the Netherlands, van de Hulst predicted the instellar hydrogen 21-cm line.  He has made contributions to the theory of light scattering by small particles, about which topic he wrote two books. He was active in promoting international cooperation in space research.

Named for William Huggins (1824-1910), pioneer in astronomical spectroscopy.  Huggins stated that the chemical elements on the earth also existed in the stars, discovered the gaseous nature of bright nebulae, was the first to study the spectrum of a nova and measured the radial velocity of Sirius.

Named in honor of Owen Jay Gingerich, Harvard professor of astronomy and of the history of science, and an astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.  Although he has made important contributions to the modeling of stellar atmospheres, he is best known for effectively setting the standards of scholarship for modern studies of the history of astronomy and astrophysics.

Named in memory of Otto Struvé (1897-1963), last of a remarkable astronomical lineage. His great-grandfather, Wilhelm Struvé, founded the Pulkovo Observatory in 1839; his grandfather (Otto), uncle (Hermann) and father (Ludwig) were also distinguished astronomers.  Following a period of great privation and misery after World War I, he was invited by Edwin B. Frost to come to the Yerkes Observatory in 1921.

Named in honor of Iosif Samuilovich Shklovskij, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, professor at Moscow University and member of the staff at the Space Research Institute.  A brilliant popularizer of astronomy, he has also made substantial contributions to research on the solar corona, galactic radio emission and various cosmic objects. Academician Shklovskij was named an Honorary Member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada on 1966-03-11.

Orbit type: Main Belt Asteroid

Reference: MPC 8543

Named in memory of Joel Stebbins (1878-1966), who pioneered the development of photoelectric methods for measuring astronomical radiation, first at the University of Illinois, then at the University of Wisconsin. He applied the method in work on eclipsing binaries, interstellar reddening and the integrated magnitudes of galaxies.  Others have used the technique to study the shapes, rotation periods and surface properties of asteroids.

Named in honor of Audouin Dollfus (d. 2010-10-01), astronomer at the Observatoire de Paris, Meudon.  Dollfus was renowned for his fundamental work on planetary polarimetry and ground-based imaging, including studies of Saturn’s rings, the Martian and lunar surfaces, and the Venus atmosphere.  He worked on the polarimetric properties of minor planets. He was named an Honorary Member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada on 1975-01-25.

Orbit type: Main Belt Asteroid

Reference: MPC 6531

Named in honor of Frank Maine Bateson (d. 2006), director of the Variable Star section of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand since 1928.  He led the site survey of New Zealand that resulted in the establishment of the Mount John University Observatory and was astronomer-in-charge there until 1968.  Dr. Bateson and his wife Doris supported and encouraged astronomy in New Zealand. He was named an Honorary Member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada on 1984-06-30.

Orbit type: Main Belt Asteroid

Reference: MPC 6210