Robert Cutler Named Helin 1982 Asteroid Discovery 4660 Nereus in 1991

Summary: Robert Cutler named Helin 1982 asteroid discovery 4660 Nereus in a naming contest conducted by The Planetary Society through March 30, 1991.

Asteroid Nereus, created Saturday, Sep. 21, 2013, by NASA Ames SpaceShop intern Randall Ticknor from NASA JPL 3-D asteroid shape models: RTicknor, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Thingiverse

Robert Cutler named Helin 1982 asteroid discovery 4660 Nereus in a “Help Name 1982DB” contest initiated by the asteroid’s discoverer, Eleanor Helin, and hosted by The Planetary Society, a space advocacy, non-governmental, nonprofit foundation based in Pasadena, California.

American astronomer Eleanor Francis “Glo” Helin (Nov. 19, 1932-Jan. 25, 2009) made her discovery Monday, March 1, 1982. She was meticulously scanning one of 10 plates obtained from a scheduled observing session conducted Saturday, Feb. 27, evening through Sunday, Feb. 28, morning with American astrogeologist Eugene Merle “Gene” Schoemaker (April 28, 1928-July 19, 1997). Cloudy, foggy and rainy weather limited their observing time to the one marathon session.

Helin recounted her discovery in “Discovering an Asteroid,” published in the July/August issue of The Planetary Report, The Planetary Society’s quarterly magazine. Before officially reporting her discovery, Shoemaker and she approximated the asteroid’s celestial coordinates of right ascension and declination (equivalents of terrestrial longitude and latitude, respectively).

Helin then telephoned British astronomer Brian G. Marsden (Aug. 5, 1937-Nov. 18, 2010), who directed the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (CBAT). During the call, Marsden assigned a provisional designation of 1982 DB.

In a later article about her crucial recovery, or re-observing, of 1982 DB, Helin decoded the asteroid’s temporary designation. The number, 1982, represents the year of discovery. The two letters, DB, pertain to the discovery month. The letter D references discovery in the second half of February. The letter B recognizes placement as the second asteroidal discovery in the second half of February.

In “The Recovery of 1982DB,” published in The Planetary Report’s January/February 1991 issue, Helin noted that after her recovery Sunday, Sept. 16, 1990, additional observations had qualified 1982 DB for a permanent designation. The International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Minor Planet Center (MPC) announced the assignment of 4660 as the permanent numerical designation for 1982 DB in M.P.C. (Minor Planet Circular) 17416, issued Sunday, Dec. 2, 1990.

The IAU’s Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature (CSBN) accords discoverers with the privilege of proposing names for their discoveries. The IAU’s naming convention for minor planets specifies mythological names for Earth-crossing asteroids, known as Near Earth Asteroids (NEA). Names “associated with creation or underworld themes,” however, are excepted from consideration.

Helin opted for a naming contest through The Planetary Society. The contest announcement followed her recovery article in The Planetary Report’s January/February 1991 issue. Names had to be sent before Saturday, March 30, 1991.

In “Naming an Asteroid” in The Planetary Report’s November/December 1991 issue, American planetary scientist Donald K. “Don” Yeomans (born May 3, 1942) identified Robert M. Cutler of Potomac, Maryland, as the naming contest’s winner. Yeomans noted that Helin selected Cutler’s suggestion of Nereus from the hundreds of submissions.

On Thursday, Nov. 21, 1991, the Minor Planet Center published the asteroid’s official naming citation as 4660 Nereus in M.P.C. 19338. The announcement credited namer Robert M. Cutler as “a Planetary Society member interested in near-earth asteroids.”

Greek mythology genealogized Nereus as the eldest son of Greek primordial deities Pontus and Gaia. The Minor Planet Center’s official citation for 4660 Nereus referenced the asteroid’s namesake as a “benevolent Greek sea-god.” The description noted Nereus’ association “with ancient origins (mythology, if not science)” and his gift of prophecy.

The Minor Planet Center’s announcement concluded with the observation: “To English-language speakers the name seems very appropriate for such an object.” Does the appropriateness derive from a possible pronunciation of near-us in English?

The online Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives the pronunciation of the sea-god’s name as nir-ē-əs. The accent is on the first syllable. Merriam-Webster’s International Phonetics Association-based guide gives the name’s syllabic pronunciation equivalents to nir as in near, ē as in easy and əs as in the first and third a’s in banana plus s as in less.

Robert M. Cutler was employed in the Greenbelt, Maryland, office of The MITRE Corporation, a contractor and research partner with NASA. On Tuesday, Nov. 1, 1994, approximately three years after his official credit as namer of Helin’s February 1982 asteroid discovery, Cutler presented a paper, “Environmental Testing to Prevent On-Orbit TDRS Failures,” at the Institute of Environmental Sciences’ 18th Space Simulation Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. Cutler’s presentation on Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) failures reported research conducted by The Mitre Corporation for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center contract NAS5-32607.

The takeaway for Robert Cutler’s naming the Helin 1982 asteroid discovery 4660 Nereus in 1991 is that Eleanor Helin opted for a naming contest through The Planetary Society for her February 1982 asteroid discovery and that Nereus, the name of a benevolent sea-god submitted by Cutler, a member of The Planetary Society and an employee of NASA contractor The Mitre Corporation, won the contest.

west frieze of Pergamon Altar, built during the reign of King Eumenes II of northwestern Asia Minor’s Kingdom of Pergamon in the second century BCE, depicts Nereus (left), with sea nymph Doris and ocean personifier Oceanus, engaged in the Gigantomachy, battle between Olympian gods and Giants; Berlin’s Museum Island (Museumsinsel), northeastern Germany: Claus Ableiter, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Asteroid Nereus, created Saturday, Sep. 21, 2013, by NASA Ames SpaceShop intern Randall Ticknor from NASA JPL 3-D asteroid shape models: RTicknor, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Thingiverse @ https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:153956

west frieze of Pergamon Altar, built during the reign of King Eumenes II of northwestern Asia Minor’s Kingdom of Pergamon in the second century BCE, depicts Nereus (left), with sea nymph Doris and ocean personifier Oceanus, engaged in the Gigantomachy, battle between Olympian gods and Giants; Berlin’s Museum Island (Museumsinsel), northeastern Germany: Claus Ableiter, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nereus,_Doris,_Okeanos_Pergamonaltar.JPG

For further information:

Cutler, Robert M. “Environmental Testing to Prevent On-Orbit TDRS Failures.” Pages 211-221.  In: Joseph L. Stecher, comp., Institute of Environmental Sciences (IES) 18th Space Simulation Conference: Space Mission Success Through Testing. NASA Conference Publication 3280. Baltimore, MD: Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 1994.
Available via NASA NTRS @ https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19950007665.pdf
Available via NASA NTRS @ https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19950007649.pdf

Green, Daniel W.E. “1982 DB.” Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams > IAU Circular No. 5092. Sept. 18, 1990.
Available @ http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/05000/05092.html#Item1

Helin, Eleanor F. “Discovering an Asteroid.” The Planetary Report, vol. II, no. 4 (July/August 1982): 4-6.
Available @ https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/tpr/pdf/tpr-1982-v02n4.pdf

Helin, Eleanor F. “Eureka! The Recovery of 1982DB.” The Planetary Report, vol. XI, no. 1 (January/February 1991): 16.
Available @ https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/tpr/pdf/tpr-1991-v11n1.pdf

Helin, Eleanor F. “Help Name 1982DB.” The Planetary Report, vol. XI, no. 1 (January/February 1991): 17.
Available @ https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/tpr/pdf/tpr-1991-v11n1.pdf

Helin, Eleanor F.; Neal D. Hulkower; and David F. Bender. “The Discovery of 1982 DB, the Most Accessible Asteroid Known.” Icarus, vol. 57, issue 1 (January 1984): 42-47.

IAU International Astronomical Union. “How Are Minor Planets Named?” IAU International Astronomical Union Minor Planet Center > Information.
Available @ https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/info/HowNamed.html

IAU International Astronomical Union. “Naming of Astronomical Objects.” IAU International Astronomical Union > IAU for the Public > Themes.
Available @ https://www.iau.org/public/themes/naming/

Levy, David H. Skywatching. Revised and updated. San Francisco CA: Fog City Press, 1994.

Mabrouk, Elizabeth, ed. “Randall Ticknor – Interns, SpaceShop.” NASA > Centers > Ames > SpaceShop > Bios. March 31, 2014.
Available @ https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/spaceshop/bios/randall_ticknor/

Marriner, Derdriu. “Eleanor Helin Discovered Asteroid 4660 Nereus in February 1982.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/02/eleanor-helin-discovered-asteroid-4660.html

Marsden, Brian G. “1982 DB.” Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams > IAU Circular No. 3675. March 5, 1982.
Available @ http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/03600/03675.html

Marsden, Brian G. “1982 DB.” Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams > IAU Circular No. 3677. March 10, 1982.
Available @ http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/03600/03677.html

Minor Planet Center. “(4660) 1982 DB.” Minor Planet Circular 17416. Dec. 2, 1990.
Available @ https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/1990/MPC_19901202.pdf

Minor Planet Center. “(4660) Nereus = 1982 DB.” Minor Planet Circular 19338. Nov. 21, 1991.
Available @ https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/1991/MPC_19911121.pdf

Ostro, Steven J., Dr. “4660_Nereus Planning.” Asteroid Radar Research > 1010 Radar-Detected Asteroids and Comets > 851 Near-Earth Asteroids.
Available @ https://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroids/Nereus/4660_Nereus_planning.html

The Planetary Society. “Eleanor Helin.” The Planetary Society > Connect > Our Experts > Profiles.
Available @ http://www.planetary.org/connect/our-experts/profiles/eleanor-helin.html

Sagan, Carl. A Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space. New York NY: Ballantine Books / Random House Inc., 1994.

Slade, Martin A.; Lance A.M. Benner; and Arnold Silva. “Goldstone Solar System Radar Observaotry: Earth-Based Planetary Mission Support and Unique Science Results.” Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 99, issue 5 (May 2011): 757-769.
Available @ https://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroids/Slade_Benner_Silva_IEEE_Proceedings.pdf

van der Hucht, Karel A. “2021, Dec 11 Asteroid 4660 Nereus.” IAU International Astronomical Union > IAU for the Public > Themes > Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs): A Chronology of Milestones -- Page 3: 2011-2880. Last updated Oct. 7, 2013.
Available @ https://www.iau.org/public/themes/neo/nea3/

Yeomans, Donald K. “Naming an Asteroid.” The Planetary Report, vol. XI, no. 6 (November/December 1991): 6.
Available @ https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/tpr/pdf/tpr-1991-v11n6.pdf