The Man, the Myth, the Planet

I opened my email this morning to find this news flash from Harold Wood, Chair of our John Muir Education Committee and curator of the ever-popular John Muir Exhibit on our pages:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Minor Planet Named for Pioneer California Conservationist

(Los Angeles, CA) - The International Astronomical Union (IAU), through the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's (SAO) Minor Planet Center (MPC), has announced the naming of a newly discovered minor planet in honor of pioneer conservationist John Muir. The announcement was made in the June 2006 issue of the Minor Planet Circular, published by the SAO/MPC.

The tiny, 1-mile diameter celestial body ... was discovered in August 2004 by amateur astronomer R.E. Jones from his backyard observatory located in a Los Angeles suburb.

As the discoverer of 2004PX42, Mr. Jones was allowed to suggest a more congenial name for the planet. He chose Johnmuir, in honor of the founding president of the Sierra Club.

You have to be a pretty major dude to have a planet -- even a minor one -- named after you. Muir, who also graces the California Quarter, joins a select group of luminaries that includes Albert Einstein and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.