Controversial Asteroid 102 Miriam (?)
Taken by Odd Trondal on March 20, 2026 @ Norway
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It was discovered by the German–American astronomer Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters on August 22, 1868, from the Litchfield Observatory
He named the asteroid after Miriam, the sister of Moses in the Bible's Old Testament. This caused some controversy, because at the time, asteroids were expected to be named after mythological figures. According to fellow astronomer Edward S. Holden, Peters deliberately chose a name from the Bible so as to annoy an overly pious theology professor he knew.
So are religious texts only mythologies ? As suggested by Peters.
He was also a professor at Hamilton College in New York.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Heinrich_Friedrich_Peters

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/102_Miriam

Distance from the Sun (au) : 2.951

Time: 19:45UT 2026-03-20 Exp. 5 x 65 sec.
Tel. 0.254m f/5.8 ST-10XME CCD @ -25°C 1.9"/pix
Odd Trondal Obs.code 238 (Uranium). Oslo Norway.

Software used:TheSky6,CCDSoft 5, MSB Astroart 2.0, 8.0, Paint
Photographer's website:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/odd_trondal/
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