Chad Trujillo

Chad Trujillo
Born (1973-11-22) November 22, 1973
Nationality American
Education Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Hawaii
Known for Discovery of Eris, Sedna and other trans-Neptunian objects
Scientific career
Fields Planetary astronomy
Institutions Gemini Observatory
Northern Arizona University

Chadwick A. "Chad" Trujillo (born November 22, 1973) is an American astronomer, discoverer of minor planets and the co-discoverer of Eris, the most massive dwarf planet known in the Solar System.[1][2]

Trujillo works with computer software and has examined the orbits of the numerous trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), which is the outer area of the Solar System that he specialized in. In late August 2005, it was announced that Trujillo, along with Michael E. Brown and David L. Rabinowitz, had discovered Eris in 2003.[2] As a result of the discovery of the satellite Dysnomia, Eris was the first TNO known to be more massive than Pluto.[3]

Career

Trujillo attended Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park, Illinois. He received his B.Sc. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1995, and was a member of the Xi chapter of Tau Epsilon Phi, and received his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Hawaii in 2000.

Between 2000 and 2003 Trujillo was a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech. In 2003, he started working as an astronomer at the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii.[4]

In 2013 Trujillo became head of the Adaptive Optics/Telescope Department at the Gemini Observatory, and continued until 2016. As of 2016, Trujillo is assistant professor at the department of Physics & Astronomy at Northern Arizona University.[5]

He studies the Kuiper belt and the outer Solar System.

Discoveries

Minor planets discovered: 56 [6]
see § List of discovered minor planets

Trujillo is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery and co-discovery of 54 numbered minor planets between 1996 and 2013, including many trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) from the Kuiper belt (see table).[6] The last major TNO, Eris, was considered by him, his team, NASA, and many others to be the tenth planet,[4] but the International Astronomical Union assigned it to the new dwarf planet and plutoid status.

The known plutoids are:

List of discovered minor planets

(15874) 1996 TL669 October 1996list [A][B][C]
(15875) 1996 TP6611 October 1996list [B][A]
(15883) 1997 CR293 February 1997list [C][A]
(19308) 1996 TO6612 October 1996list [A][B]
(20161) 1996 TR668 October 1996list [A][B][C]
(24952) 1997 QJ428 August 1997list [B][A][D]
(24978) 1998 HJ15128 April 1998list [B][E][A]
(26375) 1999 DE920 February 1999list [B]
(33001) 1997 CU296 February 1997list [A][B][C]
50000 Quaoar4 June 2002list [F]
(59358) 1999 CL15811 February 1999list [B][A]
(60608) 2000 EE1733 March 2000list [B][G]
65489 Ceto22 March 2003list [F]
66652 Borasisi8 September 1999list [B][A]
79360 Sila-Nunam3 February 1997list [B][A][C]
(79969) 1999 CP13311 February 1999list [B][A]
(79978) 1999 CC15815 February 1999list [A][B][H]
(79983) 1999 DF920 February 1999list [B][A]
(84719) 2002 VR1283 November 2002list [F]
90377 Sedna14 November 2003list [F][J]
90482 Orcus17 February 2004list [F][J]
(91554) 1999 RZ2158 September 1999list [B][A]
(118228) 1996 TQ668 October 1996list [C][A][B]
(119951) 2002 KX1417 May 2002list [F]
(120178) 2003 OP3226 July 2003list [F][J]
(120348) 2004 TY3643 October 2004list [F][J]
(126154) 2001 YH14018 December 2001list [F]
(126155) 2001 YJ14020 December 2001list [F]
(129746) 1999 CE11910 February 1999list [B][A]
(134568) 1999 RH2157 September 1999list [A][B]
136199 Eris21 October 2003list [F][J]
136472 Makemake31 March 2005list [F][J]
(137294) 1999 RE2157 September 1999list [B][A]
(137295) 1999 RB2168 September 1999list [A][B]
(148112) 1999 RA2168 September 1999list [A][B]
(168700) 2000 GE1472 April 2000list [A][H]
(175113) 2004 PF1157 August 2004list [F][J]
(181867) 1999 CV11810 February 1999list [A][B]
(181868) 1999 CG11911 February 1999list [B][A]
(181871) 1999 CO15312 February 1999list [B][A]
(181902) 1999 RD2156 September 1999list [B][A]
(208996) 2003 AZ8413 January 2003list [F]
(250112) 2002 KY1419 May 2002list [F]
(307251) 2002 KW1417 May 2002list [F]
(307261) 2002 MS418 June 2002list [F]
341520 Mors-Somnus14 October 2007list [H]
(385201) 1999 RN2157 September 1999list [A][B]
385571 Otrera16 October 2004list [H]
(385695) 2005 TO748 October 2005list [H]
(415720) 1999 RU2157 September 1999list [B][A]
(469306) 1999 CD15810 February 1999list [B][A]
(471143) 2010 EK13913 March 2010list [K][H][L]
(471165) 2010 HE7921 April 2010list [H][M][K]
(471921) 2013 FC2817 March 2013list [H]
(503858) 1998 HQ15128 April 1998list [E][A][B]
(508792) 2000 FX5331 March 2000list [H][A]
Other objects discovered
HaumeaDecember 28, 2004[N]
(136199) Eris I DysnomiaSeptember 10, 2005[O]
(55565) 2002 AW197January 10, 2002[F] [P]
2012 VP113November 5, 2012[H]
(136108) Haumea I HiʻiakaJanuary 26, 2005[F] [J][9]
(136108) Haumea II NamakaJuly 30, 2005[F] [J][10]
Co-discovery made with:

Honors and awards

The main-belt asteroid 12101 Trujillo is named for him.[1]

In 2006 he was named one of the Science Spectrum Magazine Trailblazer, top minority in science.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (12101) Trujillo. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 776. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 "136199 Eris (2003 UB313)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  3. 1 2 Brown, Michael E.; Schaller, Emily L. (June 2007). "The Mass of Dwarf Planet Eris". Science. 316 (5831): 1585. Bibcode:2007Sci...316.1585B. doi:10.1126/science.1139415. PMID 17569855. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  4. 1 2 "UH Alumnus Chad Trujillo Helps in Discovery of 10th Planet". Nupepa. August 2005. Archived from the original on 13 August 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "Chad Trujillo CV" (PDF).
  6. 1 2 "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  7. ↑ "136108 Haumea (2003 EL61)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "136472 Makemake (2005 FY9)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  9. ↑ M. E. Brown; A. H. Bouchez; D. Rabinowitz; R. Sari; C. A. Trujillo; M. van Dam; R. Campbell; J. Chin; S. Hardman; E. Johansson; R. Lafon; D. Le Mignant; P. Stomski; D. Summers & P. Wizinowich (2005-09-02). "Keck Observatory Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics Discovery and Characterization of a Satellite to the Large Kuiper Belt Object 2003 EL61". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 632: L45–L48. Bibcode:2005ApJ...632L..45B. doi:10.1086/497641.
  10. ↑ "Dwarf Planets and their Systems". US Geological Survey Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
  11. ↑ "SCIENCE SPECTRUM MAGAZINE ANNOUNCES TOP MINORITIES IN SCIENCE" (PDF). May 8, 2006. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.