Carolyn S. Shoemaker
Carolyn Jean Spellmann Shoemaker (June 24, 1929 – August 13, 2021) was an American astronomer. She was a co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9.[1] She held the record for most comets discovered by a single person.[2]
Carolyn S. Shoemaker | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Born | Carolyn Jean Spellmann June 24, 1929 |
| Died | August 13, 2021 (aged 92) |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | California State University, Chico |
| Known for | co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 |
| Awards | James Craig Watson Medal (1998) National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal Rittenhouse Medal (1988) Scientist of the Year Award (1995) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | California Institute of Technology Palomar Observatory, California |
Personal life
Shoemaker was born Carolyn Jean Spellmann in Gallup, New Mexico, United States.[2] She was the widow of Eugene Shoemaker, a planetary scientist.[2] They were married from 1951 until his death in 1997.
Shoemaker died on August 13, 2021 in Flagstaff, Arizona at the age of 92.[3][4] The cause of death was health problems caused by a fall.[5]
Career
Shoemaker started her astronomical career in 1980, searching for Earth-crossing asteroids and comets at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, and the Palomar Observatory, San Diego, California.[6]
As of 2002, Shoemaker had discovered 32 comets and over 300 asteroids (counting the as-yet unnumbered ones).[2][6]
Carolyn S. Shoemaker Media
Palomar Observatory near San Diego, California, where Carolyn and Gene Shoemaker recorded many of their astronomical discoveries
Clark Dome at Lowell Observatory
Gene and Carolyn Shoemaker, 1994
References
- ↑ Mestel, Rosie (9 July 1994). Carolyn Shoemaker and 'Her Comet'. 143. p. 23. http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/esp_shoemaker_a.htm.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Carolyn Shoemaker". Astrogeology Science Center. USGS.
- ↑ "American Astronomer Carolyn Shoemaker's Death at 92". US Day News. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
- ↑ FELDMANN, Jean-Baptiste (2021-08-15). "Carolyn Shoemaker a rejoint son mari dans les étoiles". CIELMANIA : le blog de Jean-Baptiste FELDMANN, photographe du ciel (in français). Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- ↑ Traub, Alex (September 1, 2021). "Carolyn Shoemaker, Hunter of Comets and Asteroids, Dies at 92". The New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 She's Looking Out for Us. American Association of Petroleum Geologists. May 2001. http://www.aapg.org/explorer/2001/05may/denver_c_shoemaker.cfm.