New asteroid named after Philippine goddess of lost things

In September, the Minor Planet Center (MPC)—an international astronomical monitoring agency—published its latest list of approved names for known asteroids. Among these is asteroid 1982XB, which has been given the name (3757) Anagolay, after the ancient Tagalog goddess of lost things.

Asteroid 1982XB was discovered in 1982 by E. F. Helin at the Palomar Observatory. It is half a kilometer in diameter and takes almost two and a half years to go around the sun.
 

The name Anagolay, submitted by Filipino student Mohammad Abqary Alon, bested over a thousand entries from 85 countries in a contest held by the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), an international non-government organization that represents university students and young professionals in the United Nations, in the space industry, and in academia.

 

The SGAC’s official announcement was shared by Filipino astronomer Rogel Mari Sese on his Facebook wall:

 

 

The MPC is responsible for naming minor planets, comets, natural satellites, and other minor bodies in the solar system. It works in cooperation with the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (CBAT), under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). — TJD, GMA News