David Lincoln Rabinowitz (born 1960) is an American astronomer, discoverer of minor planets and researcher at Yale University.
Career David Rabinowitz has built CCD cameras and software for the detection of near-Earth and Kuiper belt objects, and his research has helped reduce the assumed number of near-Earth asteroids larger than 1 km by half, from 1,000–2,000 to 500–1,000. He has also assisted in the detection of distant solar system objects, supernovae, and quasars, thereby helping to understand the origin and evolution of the Solar System and the dark energy driving the accelerated expansion of the universe.
Collaborating with Michael Brown and Chad Trujillo of the Quasar Equatorial Survey Team, he has participated in the discovery of several possible dwarf planets such as 90377 Sedna (possibly the first known inner Oort cloud object), 90482 Orcus, Eris (more massive than Pluto), , and , though no-one would get credit for Haumea.
Together with Tom Gehrels of the University of Arizona and his Spacewatch team, Rabinowitz discovered or co-discovered other astronomical objects including 5145 Pholus – a Centaur, credited by the MPC to Spacewatch– and the unnumbered Apollo near-Earth object 1991 BA, which remains uncredited.
Awards and honors
The minor planet 5040 Rabinowitz, a Phocaea asteroid discovered by Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory in 1972, was named in his honor and for his work at Spacewatch.
List of discovered minor planets
David Rabinowitz is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery and co-discovery of 34 minor planets during 1989–2010.
90377 Sedna 14 November 2003 90482 Orcus February 17, 2004 July 26, 2003 October 3, 2004 136199 Eris October 21, 2003 136472 Makemake March 31, 2005 August 7, 2004 May 10, 2007 225088 Gonggong July 17, 2007 229762 Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà July 17, 2007 August 25, 2008 March 9, 2010 March 7, 2010 December 19, 2009 December 16, 2009 September 9, 2010 December 17, 2009 November 11, 2010 March 9, 2010 March 13, 2010 March 17, 2010 March 18, 2010 March 19, 2010 March 19, 2010 April 14, 2010 May 12, 2010 August 14, 2010 November 3, 2010 October 27, 1989 August 14, 2010 September 24, 2008 September 11, 2007 September 26, 2008 September 24, 2008 Co-discovery made with: M. E. Brown C. Trujillo M. E. Schwamb S. Tourtellotte J. V. Scotti
1992AD is with a comet-like orbit of 92.26 years without a tail, which orbits between Saturn and Neptune. It was discovered by Rabinowitz in 1992 and was officially named Pholus. Another body that he discovered in 1993 was named Nessus with an orbit of 123.2 years. This one orbits between Saturn and Pluto.Life After Grief: An Astrological Guide to Dealing with Loss, by Darrelyn Gunzburg, 2004
References