12-year-old Canadian boy discovers two new asteroids: a young astronomer making waves in space exploration
A remarkable achievement by a young Canadian researcher: 12-year-old boy from Ontario, named Siddharth Patel, has taken a significant step in exploring space, allegedly discovering two new asteroids.
This incredible discovery was made possible through participation in a citizen science program closely collaborating with NASA.
According to the young researcher, the objects he identified received the designations 2024 RX69 and 2024 RH39 and have already been cataloged by the Minor Planet Center, part of the International Astronomical Union, which monitors asteroid and small celestial body discoveries.
Siddharth explained that he has been interested in astronomy since he was five years old, using telescopes with the support of his parents, who have no professional background in space sciences.
He also mentioned that formal school curriculum offers limited information on space topics, so his engagement with astronomy is driven by personal passion and curiosity beyond classroom lessons.
Confirming the orbits of these asteroids could take up to ten years, but the young boy has another ambitious goal: to become an astronaut.
He aspires to follow in the footsteps of famous Canadian astronauts and has already joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadets program, which works in cooperation with the Canadian Air Force.
His involvement came through participation in the International Asteroid Search Collaboration (IPSC), which uses images from the Hawaiian Pan-STARRS telescope and the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona to find asteroids.
The objects discovered by Siddharth are located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but the project also explores near-Earth and trans-Neptunian objects.
Besides his asteroid hunting achievements, he captured a photo of comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) near the Milky Way, which received Audience Choice awards at the 2025 DarkSky International competition.
Earlier, he also discovered an asteroid near Earth, designated 2025 SC79, a new member of the Atira group, further illustrating his promising potential in space research.