Stephen P. Laurie is a British amateur
astronomer. He is a prolific discoverer of
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
...
s and
comets, although his profession is that of an
actuary
An actuary is a business professional who deals with the measurement and management of risk and uncertainty. The name of the corresponding field is actuarial science. These risks can affect both sides of the balance sheet and require asset man ...
.
[Independent newspaper](_blank)
A small speck in the sky; but a giant find for insurance man (1997) He has also worked on searches for
dwarf stars and discovered a
supernova
A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when ...
(SN 1997bq in NGC 3147) in 1997.
Laurie has named five asteroids he discovered from the
Church Stretton
Church Stretton is a market town in Shropshire, England, south of Shrewsbury and north of Ludlow. The population in 2011 was 4,671. area —
7603 Salopia
76 or Seventy-Six may refer to:
Common uses
* 76 (number)
* One of the years 76 BC, AD 76, 1776, 1876, 1976, 2076
Places
* Seventy Six, Kentucky
* Seventy-Six, Missouri
* Seventy-Six Township, Iowa (disambiguation), several places
Arts, entert ...
(named after
Shropshire),
9421 Violilla,
9428 Angelalouise,
10216 Popastro and
11626 Church Stretton 116 (''one hundred and sixteen'') may refer to:
*116 (number)
*AD 116
* 116 BC
* 116 (Devon and Cornwall) Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, a military unit
* 116 (MBTA bus)
* 116 (New Jersey bus)
* 116 (hip hop group), a Christian hip hop collect ...
— all discovered at
observatory 966 Church Stretton and nearby location Ragdon (observatory J17). Laurie lives and works in the Church Stretton area.
References
20th-century British astronomers
Discoverers of asteroids
Living people
People from Church Stretton
Year of birth missing (living people)
{{UK-astronomer-stub