Honour for Dave McDonald

Ladies and Gents,

John McConnell has asked me to post the following...

Hi folks,

Great news this morning, I'm delighted to announce that our friend Dave McDonald has been
honoured by the International Astronomical Union with the naming of an asteroid in his honour.
Some months back I suggested the name to Dr Edward Bowell at Lowell Observatory Anderson
Mesa Station outside Flagstaff Arizona and he gave us one discovered by the LONEOS team. Four
out of four isn't bad! I was informed this morning by Ted and it's now official! The full citation reads:

"(21782) Davemcdonald = 1999 RV239
Discovered 1999 Sept. 8 by the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search at the
Anderson Mesa Station.Irish amateur astronomer David McDonald (b. 1964) undertakes
astrometry of asteroids. He is active in promoting amateur astronomy in Ireland".

Dave has done much to promote amateur astronomy all over the island of Ireland and is a very
deserving candidate. Well done Dave and many congratulations!! I'm glad to have had a part in
it. I spoke to Dave a while ago and he is totally gubsmacked!

And of course I must add my own congratulations to Dave for this well deserved honour - I think that's five people I know who have had this honour bestowed upon them.

Well done Dave!

WOW How cool is that !!!!

Well done Dave, well deserved , fantastic news.
Hope you can image your own rock in the sky.


Deirdre Kelleghan
Irish Astronomical Society
PRO IFAS

Dave,

Please accept my congrats as well. A recognition and honour well-deserved.

Fantastic Dave, many congratulations.

congrats,
We await a pic of the asteroid Dave.