* Astronomy

The IAU has announced the asteroid 1999 - RV239 is now officially named (21782)Davemcdonald, after Dave McDonald of Kildare who is a  keen astronomer, specialising in  CCD imaging.
21782 Davemcdonald  orbits between Mars and Jupiter, and is currently at magnitude 21, however , in mid- 2009 it will reach magnitude 18.

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".

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