Taiwanese astronomers who named an exoplanet and the star it orbits have been listed as being from “China Taipei” by the Paris-based International Astronomical Union (IAU), the Astronomical Society of the Republic of China (ASROC) said on Friday.
The astronomers, who were part of a research team that last year became the first to photograph a black hole, were invited by the IAU to an event to mark the group’s 100th anniversary and name recently discovered exoplanets and their stars, but attended under the title “China Taipei,” the society said.
The IAU said the designation was the result of discussions it held in 1979 with Chinese authorities, which concluded with Chinese astronomers working under the title “China Nanjing” and Taiwanese astronomers as “China Taipei.”
Photo taken from the International Astronomical Union Web site
After it announced its intent to participate in the event and opened up entries to Taiwanese astronomers, ASROC received 128 submissions, which received 6,101 votes, it said, adding that it chose the winning entry last month.
The winning name for the star HD 100655, a giant yellow star in the Leo constellation, was “Formosa,” the old Portuguese name for Taiwan, which means “beautiful,” it said.
The star’s exoplanet was named “Sazum,” the traditional name of Yuchi Township (魚池) in Nantou County, which means “water” in the language of the Thao people, “who lived in the region for hundreds of years,” it said.
Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics director Chu You-hua (朱有花) said this was the first time Taiwanese astronomers had named an exoplanet, and it was a proud moment for Taiwanese that the nation’s name could spread to the far reaches of the universe.
Recounting the history of Taiwan’s title at the IAU, Chu said the Republic of China joined it in 1935, but after China joined in 1959 as the People’s of Republic of China conflicts arose over two “China” member countries within the organization.
China demanded that Taiwan not be allowed membership, and had threatened to leave if it remained, the IAU said, adding that in the 1979 discussions, China said it was resolutely opposed to any references to “two Chinas,” or to “one China, and one Taiwan.”
The IAU implemented the naming scheme in 1982, Chu said.
“This name we are listed as now was hard won, and affords Taiwanese astronomers a legal basis for participation,” she said, stressing that on the IAU’s Web site, Taiwan is placed under the category titled “national members.”
LONG WAIT: Deliveries of the 66 jets were expected to begin in 2023 and be completed by this year, but technical issues had pushed back the timetable The second batch of F-16V Block 70 jets purchased by Taiwan from the US, aircraft 6729, 6731 and 6732, arrived at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung County at about 11am yesterday, the air force said. The cockpit of the first aircraft to land, tail number 6732, displayed the Republic of China flag. The pilot of the last aircraft, tail number 6731, made a hand gesture representing the number “21” to the crowd. Airmen on the ground recognized it as the signature of the 21st Fighter Squadron. Sources said the pilot who made the gesture was Chiang Hui-yu (蔣惠宇), a graduate of the
The second flight of F-16V jets from the US is expected to arrive at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung today. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on Friday said that the new fighters would arrive in Taiwan soon. The Air Force Command yesterday issued a media notice for a filming session scheduled for today, effectively confirming the arrival. It is the second part of an order for 66 F-16Vs to arrive in Taiwan following the delivery of the first two aircraft last month. Three jets are expected this time, sources said. The three aircraft in the latest batch are single-seat models, bearing military serial
Former China Central Television (CCTV) talk show host Cheng Wanjun (程萬軍) yesterday sought political asylum in Taiwan, a day after arriving at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on a connecting flight from Thailand. In a video posted on X, Cheng said he was appealing to Taiwan to grant him temporary asylum on humanitarian grounds while he sought permanent resettlement in a third country. Cheng said he previously served as editor-in-chief of the journal Law and Life and hosted legal affairs programs on state-run CCTV. He said he ran afoul of Chinese authorities in 2019 after a video surfaced showing him discussing rulers whose actions
FORTY-NINE AIRCRAFT: The frequency and number of aircraft and ship sorties will likely continue to increase, but the important thing is vigilance, an analyst said Taiwan detected 49 sorties of military aircraft around Taiwan in the 24 hours leading up to 6am yesterday, in what analysts described as heightened “gray zone” activity. Aside from the 49 Chinese military aircraft, six warships and six government vessels were also detected around the nation during the period, the Ministry of National Defense said. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), director of the Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s Defense Strategy and Resources Division, said that the sudden surge in Chinese military aircraft and vessels around Taiwan was part of what he described as a “quiet exercise,” with Beijing maintaining high-intensity “gray zone”
RSS