Two members of staff at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium have recently had asteroids named after them, in recognition of their contributions to astronomy and science.

Dr Rok Nežič, a tours and outreach officer, now has the asteroid (20560) Nežič, while Shane Kelly, the principal meteorological observer, has been honoured with (7050) Shanekelly.

Nežič, who arrived at the observatory in 2015 to complete his doctorate, said he found the news "a dream come true" and "so cool".

He described his asteroid as "a smallish rock in space" that is "sitting safely out in the asteroid belt and just going around the Sun, just like we are".

His asteroid is 10.9km across and was discovered in New Mexico in 1999 as part of an Earth-based mission looking for asteroids.

Kelly's asteroid is 15.6km across and was discovered in Chile in 1982. Kelly has been recording weather observations at the observatory since 1999, opening the Stevenson screen daily and noting down readings in a handwritten ledger.

Professor Michael Burton, the institute's director, said Kelly has "probably observed the weather more than anyone else in the world" and that the asteroid naming is "in recognition of Shane's contribution to the observatory and to the measuring of the weather".

Burton said it is "fantastic" that the two team members have been recognised in this way.

The naming of asteroids is governed by the International Astronomical Union, and the names are proposed by discoverers once orbits are sufficiently known. Both men were nominated by colleagues, though Nežič said he does not know who specifically nominated him; his PhD supervisor and a former astronomer put his name forward.

The observatory and planetarium now plans to recognise the achievements with a new LED dome that will show the asteroids and their orbits.