Asteroid Names Linked to Human Origins: Donald Johanson’s Landmarks
Here’s a breakdown of the information provided in the text, focusing on the asteroid Donaldjohanson and its named features:
Key Information:
* Asteroid Name: Donaldjohanson
* Naming Theme: Geological features on the asteroid are named after significant figures and sites in the study of human evolution and paleontology.
* Notable Names:
* Lucy: A large crater named after the famous Australopithecus afarensis fossil.
* Ardi: A crater named after Ardipithecus ramidus.
* Hominin Sites: Features named after sites like Olduvai gorge, Hadar, and Sterkfontein.
* Paleoanthropologists: features named after scientists like Donald Johanson (the asteroid’s namesake), Mary Leakey, and Louis Leakey.
* Fossil Names: Boxgrove Saxum, Cashel Saxum, Kennewick Saxum, Luzia Dorsum, Mungo (a crater) and Narmada (another crater).
* Source of Information: The U.S. Geological Survey’s Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature (https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/) is the official source for these names.
* Latin Terms: “Dorsum” means “the ridge” in Latin,used in some of the feature names.
Image Description:
The text references an image (a labeled map) showing the various regions and features on the asteroid Donaldjohanson, with labels indicating the names assigned to them. The image credit is NASA Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL.