An asteroid that was discovered by astronomers working together from both sides of the Taiwan Strait in 2006 and named after the aboriginal Tsou tribe has been recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), an academic source said Thursday.
根據學術界週四發表的消息指出，2006年海峽兩岸天文學家合作發現一顆小行星，將其取名為「鄒族小行星」，並已由國際天文聯合會(IAU)正式通過此名稱。
An IAU commission in charge of the naming of comets and minor planets recognized the newly discovered asteroid as "175586 = Tsou = 2006 TU106" Dec.12 last year, making it the first asteroid to be named after an indigenous Taiwanese tribe, said Yeh Yung-heng, vice president of National Central University in Zhongli, northern Taiwan.
中央大學位於北台灣的中壢市，副校長葉永烜指出，國際天文聯合會中的組織國際小行星命名委員會，去年12月12日已正式承認這顆新發現的小行星名為「鄒族」（175586 = Tsou = 2006 TU106），這是第一顆以原住民部族命名的小行星。
Asteroid Tsou was first discovered at NCU's Lulin Observatory in central Taiwan Oct. 15, 2006 through joint efforts by Ye Quanzhi from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China and Lin Chi-sheng of the Graduate Institute of Astronomy, NCU.
「鄒族小行星」是由中央大學天文所觀測員林啟生與大陸廣州中山大學研究生葉泉志，在中央大學設於中台灣的鹿林天文台首度發現。
Ye first planned a photographic chart to allow Lin and his research team posted at the Lulin Observatory -- which sits on a mountaintop on the border of Nantou and Chiayi counties -- to acquire images using the observatory's 41-cm camera. Ye then analyzed the findings before referring them to the IAU for confirmation.
葉泉志首先精心規劃了觀測天區表，供林啟生和研究團隊，在位於南投與嘉義交界山區的鹿林天文台使用，以四十一公分口徑的望遠鏡取得影像。然後葉泉志針對種種發現進行分析，再將影像提交給國際天文聯合會申請認證。
According to Lin, Asteroid Tsou is located among an orbit of minor planets, asteroids and comets between Mars and Jupiter. It cannot be seen with the naked eye because it is too far away and too dim, Lin said.
根據林啟生表示，鄒族小行星位於火星和木星之間的小行星帶，僅以肉眼無法辨識，因為鄒族小行星的距離太遠而且亮度太低。
A ceremony was held at NCU Thursday in which a model of Asteroid Tsou was presented to the Alishan rural township in recognition of the contributions made by the Tsou people in building the observatory.
週四在中央大學舉行了一場典禮，典禮中致贈鄒族小行星的模型給阿里山鄉，以表揚鄒族人對建立天文台的貢獻。
Addressing the ceremony, Yeh said the establishment of the Lulin Observatory would have been impossible if not for the assistance by the aboriginal people living in the area.
葉永烜在典禮中發表談話時指出，如果沒有當地原住民的協助，根本不可能建造鹿林天文台。
Yeh, who is also a professor at the NCU Graduate Institute of Astronomy, said Taiwan's indigenous people have rich knowledge about astronomy that has been handed down orally from generation to generation and noted that people from the Tsou and Bunun tribes carried bricks, cement and other building materials on their backs up to the mountaintop -- 2,862 meters above sea level -- to build the observatory.
葉永烜同時也是中央大學天文所的教授，他說台灣原住民具備豐富的天文知識，藉由口述代代相傳；他還說，鹿林海拔2862公尺，當初建造天文台時，全賴鄒族和布農族原住民將磚頭、水泥、建材一一揹上山頭。
In addition, four Tsou men have been employed as guards at the observatory around the clock, all year round, since the observatory was built in 1999, Yeh said.
葉永烜說，而且自天文台1999年成立至今，看守工作也是由四位鄒族青年全年365天24小時輪班負責。
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