A young Brazilian prodigy, just 7 years old, Arthur Ruiz, has made an important astronomical discovery by identifying an asteroid in the orbit of Mars that could cross the Earth’s path in millions of years. The discovery was made as part of the work of the Theta Mensae team, from the Mensa Brasil association, of which Arthur is a member.
Arthur, along with four other young talents – Bernardo Leitao Teixeira (Fortaleza, CE/7 years), Benicio Zenha (Goiânia, GO/6 years), Alexandre Francini Wu (São Paulo, SP/8 years), Paulo Augusto Tomadón (Cotia, SP/8 years) and Vitor Sena Ramos (Belo Horizonte, MG/9 years) – participated in the analysis of images sent by the IASC/NASA. The group is analyzing image data taken by the PANSTARRS 1 and 2 telescopes located in Hawaii.
The discovery of the asteroid, provisionally designated “2024 JB 29” by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), was recently made official and posted on the websites of the Harvard/Smithsonian Minor Planet Center and NASA’s Astrophysics Data System. The next step is an analysis period that could take between three and five years, during which the asteroid’s orbit will be tracked and additional measurements made.
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) promoted a live broadcast to celebrate the discovery, with the participation of Dr. Patrick Miller, founder of the Interagency Standing Committee/NASA. During the broadcast, Maria Beatriz de Andrade, coordinator of the asteroid hunting program of Mensa Brasil, highlighted that Arthur will have the opportunity to name the asteroid, since he made the initial observation.
The Asteroid Hunting Program, a collaboration between MCTI and the Interagency Standing Committee/NASA, with support from the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS) and the National Observatory (ON), engages citizens in scientific research activities. This program allows ordinary people, such as members of the Theta Mensae team, to contribute to the identification and analysis of asteroids and other celestial bodies.
Arthur Ruiz, a resident of Ourinhos, showed exceptional skills from an early age. At the age of two, he already showed an interest in astronomy and began reading and writing in front of his classmates. Arthur was assessed as gifted at the age of six, with an IQ of 150, and continues to impress with his interest in Portuguese and mathematics, especially astronomy.
His discovery represents the second asteroid discovery by Brazilian citizen scientists, the first being identified in 2014 by students from Liceu Nilo Peçanha, in Niterói, RJ. At just 7 years old, Arthur has already emerged as a great promise in the field of astronomy.
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