The University of Colorado has announced that a pair of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter has been named after Professor Jay McMahon.
The Daily Camera reports that university officials said Monday the asteroids, which are orbiting each other in the asteroid belt between the two planets, have been named "(46829) McMahon." The name was approved by the International Astronomical Union.
The binary asteroids have been a major focus of McMahon's research.
An astronomer at the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague had discovered the pair and recommended it be named after McMahon, an assistant research professor of aerospace engineering.
According to CU, four CU Boulder aerospace alumni have asteroids named in their honor.
