(8442) Ostralegus

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( 8442 ) Ostralegus is an asteroid of the inner main belt, which was discovered on 16 October 1977 by the Dutch astronomer Cornelis Johannes van Houten couple and Ingrid van Houten - Groeneveld. The discovery happened in the third Trojan survey, in which the 120 - cm Oschin Schmidt telescope of the Palomar Observatory recorded by Tom Gehrels field plates at Leiden University were screened, 17 years after the beginning of the Palomar - Leiden Surveys.

( 8442 ) Ostralegus is named after the oystercatcher, a shorebird, whose scientific name Haematopus ostralegus is. At the time of designation of the asteroid on February 2, 1999, the Oystercatcher was on the list of important Dutch Blue Birds, which was published in 1994 together with the Dutch Red List of endangered bird species.