Ametlla de Mar Observatory is an

astronomical observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

situated in

L'Ametlla de Mar L'Ametlla de Mar (), also called ''la Cala'' ('the bay' or 'the beach'), is a municipality within the comarca of Baix Ebre, situated in the coastal region between the "Cap de Terme" (to the North) and the "barranc de l'Àliga" (to the south). I ...

in the autonomous

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

region of Spain. It has received the IAU

observatory code This is a list of observatory codes (IAU codes or MPC codes) published by the Minor Planet Center. For a detailed description, ''see observations of small Solar System bodies Observations of minor planets as well as comets and natural satellites ...

946 and is operated by Catalan astronomer

Jaume Nomen Jaume Nomen Torres (also: Jaime Nomen; born June 23, 1960 in Tortosa, Catalonia) is a Spanish oral and maxillofacial surgeon, amateur astronomer and discoverer of numerous minor planets. He is of Catalan origin and became publicly known for the d ...

. The observatory participates in the "Unicorn Project" and in the Minor Planet Astrometry group (''Grup d'Estudis Astronòmics'', GEA). The

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Function ...

credits the Ametlla de Mar Observatory with the discovery of 12 numbered

minor planet According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...

s between 2001 and 2002. As of 2016, all numbered bodies remain unnamed and still display their

provisional designation Provisional designation in astronomy is the naming convention applied to astronomical objects immediately following their discovery. The provisional designation is usually superseded by a permanent designation once a reliable orbit has been calcu ...

List of discovered minor planets

References

{{reflist , refs= {{cite web , title = Ametlla de Mar Observatory > Scientific Programms , work = Ametlla de Mar Observatory , url = http://astrogea.org/jnomen/ , accessdate = 16 June 2016 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170720220041/http://astrogea.org/jnomen/ , archive-date = 20 July 2017 , url-status = dead {{cite web , title = Minor Planet Discoverers (by number) , work = Minor Planet Center , url = http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/MPDiscsNum.html , date = 14 November 2016 , accessdate = 29 November 2016 Minor-planet discovering observatories Astronomical observatories in Catalonia

List of discovered minor planets

See also

References