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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 |
| Spouse | Eugene Shoemaker 1951–1997 (his death) |
| 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 |
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]
Personal life
[change | change source]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
[change | change source]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]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Mestel, Rosie (9 July 1994). "Carolyn Shoemaker and 'Her Comet'". New Scientist. Vol. 143, no. 1933. p. 23.
- ↑ 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 French). 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". Explorer. American Association of Petroleum Geologists. May 2001.