Ever Wondered How Asteroids Get Their Names?

Have you ever noticed asteroid names and wondered how they came to be? Let's go to the HMNS George Observatory in Brazos Bend State Park and talk to astronomer Tracy Knauss to learn all about it...and much more!

George Observatory
https://george.hmns.org/

More about our 36 inch scope
https://youtu.be/hz2-GgX9omg?si=Y5-Xbp6qORNLA8Tk

George VLOG
https://youtu.be/e9pXhaA0q8A?si=elZTB-o9GgLIQBM1

Tracy's Asteroid
https://fbac.org/2025/08/21/tracy-knauss-asteroid/

Timestamps

0:00 Intro
0:54 Tracy's Asteroid
4:09 What do the label numbers mean?
8:05 Who can find asteroids? 
13:47 More about Tracy's asteroid 
18:58 Has the George Observatory found asteroids?
20:34 Addressing light pollution
25:29 Venus is cool
27:28 Do you need expensive equipment for viewing/astrophotography?
35:14 Sometimes you don't need anything at all
36:57 History of 36-inch scope & George Observatory
41:23 Importance of optics
44:50 More 36-inch scope facts

For more information about the Houston Museum of Natural Science, visit https://www.hmns.org/