Scott S. Sheppard

Scott Sander Sheppard (born 1976) is an American astronomer and a discoverer of numerous moons, comets and minor planets in the outer Solar System.[1][2][3]

Astronomer in the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, DC, he attended Oberlin College as an undergraduate and received his bachelor in physics with honors in 1998.[4] Starting as a graduate student at the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii, he was credited with the discovery of many small moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. He has also discovered the first known trailing Neptune trojan, 2008 LC18, the first named leading Neptune trojan, 385571 Otrera, and the first high inclination Neptune trojan, 2005 TN53. These discoveries showed that the Neptune trojan objects are mostly on highly inclined orbits and thus likely captured small bodies from elsewhere in the Solar System.

The main-belt asteroid 17898 Scottsheppard, discovered by LONEOS at Anderson Mesa Station in 1999, was named in his honor.[1]

Discoveries

Minor planets discovered: 16 [5]
(79978) 1999 CC15815 February 1999list [A][B][C]
(131695) 2001 XS2549 December 2001list [B][D]
(131696) 2001 XT2549 December 2001list [B][D]
(131697) 2001 XH25511 December 2001list [B][D]
(148975) 2001 XA2559 December 2001list [B][D]
(168700) 2000 GE1472 April 2000list [B][C]
(200840) 2001 XN2549 December 2001list
341520 Mors–Somnus14 October 2007list [C]
385571 Otrera16 October 2004list [C]
(385695) 2005 TO748 October 2005list [C]
(469420) 2001 XP25410 December 2001list [B][D]
(469421) 2001 XD2559 December 2001list [B][D]
471143 Dziewanna13 March 2010list [C][E][F]
(471165) 2010 HE7921 April 2010list [C][E][G]
(471921) 2013 FC2817 March 2013list [C]
(508792) 2000 FX5331 March 2000list [B][C]
A with J. X. Luu
B with D. C. Jewitt
C with Chadwick Trujillo
D with J. T. Kleyna
E with A. Udalsky
F with M. Kubiak
G with R. Poleski

Sheppard was the lead discoverer of the object with the most distant orbit known in the Solar System, 2012 VP113 (nicknamed Biden). In 2014, the similarity of the orbit of 2012 VP113 to other extreme Kuiper belt object orbits led Sheppard and Trujillo to propose that an unknown Super-Earth mass planet (2–15 Earth masses) in the outermost Solar System beyond 200 AU and up to 1500 AU is shepherding these smaller bodies into similar orbits (see Planet X or Planet Nine). The extreme trans-Neptunian objects 2013 FT28 and 2014 SR349, announced in 2016 and co-discovered by Sheppard, further show a likely unknown massive planet exists beyond a few hundred AU in the Solar System.

Most notable discoveries

Sheppard has been involved in the discovery of many small Solar System bodies such as trans-Neptunian objects, centaurs, comets and near-Earth objects.

Jupiter

Discovered moons of Jupiter (full list):[3]

Saturn

Discovered moons of Saturn (full list):[3]

Uranus

Discovered moons of Uranus (full list):[3]

Neptune

Discovered moons of Neptune (full list):[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2006). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (17898) Scottsheppard, Addendum to Fifth Edition: 2003–2005. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 112. ISBN 978-3-540-34361-5. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Circular No. 8962 Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams" (PDF). CBAT. 2008-08-01. Retrieved 2012-01-30.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "JPL Solar System Dynamics: Planetary Satellite Discovery Circumstances". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  4. ↑ "Scott S. Sheppard – Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Carnegie Institution for Science. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  5. ↑ "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
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